Risk factors associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes in Generation Z in the United Kingdom

Aqsa Kiran; Ali Davod; Mark Cortnage; Richard Hayhoe; Russell Kabir

Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, is a well-known medical condition that increasingly affects the young generation. This paper looks at the role of genetic and ethnic background on food choices and obesity, among UK's Generation Z and their predisposition to T2D.

Methods: This study aimed to determine the dietary patterns, body weight indices, and T2D status of Generation Z people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Self-administered questionnaires and medical records were used to assess the subjects' genetic and ethnic-culinary backgrounds.

Results: The study shows that genetic and ethnic factors have a strong relation to diet and weight gain, which in turn increases the probability of T2D. Hence, South Asians and Africans exhibited higher T2D prevalence attributable to their high-carbohydrate diets and insulin-resistance genes. Unhealthy foods and their unhealthy patterns were linked with obesity and high T2D risk mainly owing to the consumption of processed foods and high sugar. Such a situation with T2D if left uncontrolled, particularly in youths will result in long-term disastrous complications such as cardiovascular diseases, renal failure, and cognitive dysfunction.

Conclusion: The intervention for T2D using live modalities and other public health strategies is necessary for preventing complication-related ailments. The recommendations consequently adopt health promotion activities such as healthy nutrition, routine check-ups on health, and appropriate public health interventions that are culturally competent.

Keywords:

Next-Generation sequencing, NGS, computational genomics, precision medicine, artificial intelligence, ethical implications, technological innovations

References

[1]. Rahman S, Majumder MdAA, Kabir R, Haque M, Gupta S, Arafat SMY, et al. Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes: Two Sides of the Same Coin! Recent Trends in Cardiovascular Risks,. InTech;. 2017.

[2]. Huang M-F, Courtney M, Edwards H, McDowell J. Factors that affect health outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional study. Int J Nurs Stud. 2010;47:542–9.

[3]. Fogarty H, Gaul A, Syed S, Aleksejenko N, Geoghegan R, Conroy H, et al. Adherence to hydroxyurea, health-related quality of life domains and attitudes towards a smartphone app among Irish adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease. Irish Journal of Medical Science. (1971 -) 2022;191:809–16.

[4]. Vasishta S, Ganesh K, Umakanth S, Joshi MB. Ethnic disparities attributed to the manifestation in and response to type 2 diabetes: insights from metabolomics. Metabolomics. 2022;18:45.

[5]. DeForest N, Majithia AR. Genetics of Type 2 Diabetes: Implications from Large-Scale Studies. Curr Diab Rep .2022;22:227–35.

[6]. Schnurr TM, Jakupović H, Carrasquilla GD, Ängquist L, Grarup N, Sørensen TIA, et al. Obesity, unfavourable lifestyle and genetic risk of type 2 diabetes: a case-cohort study. Diabetologia. 2020;63:1324–32.

[7]. Zhuang P, Liu X, Li Y, Wan X, Wu Y, Wu F, et al. Effect of Diet Quality and Genetic Predisposition on Hemoglobin A1c and Type 2 Diabetes Risk: Gene-Diet Interaction Analysis of 357,419 Individuals. Diabetes Care. 2021;44:2470–9.

[8]. Kyrou I, Tsigos C, Mavrogianni C, Cardon G, Van Stappen V, Latomme J, et al. Sociodemographic and lifestyle-related risk factors for identifying vulnerable groups for type 2 diabetes: a narrative review with emphasis on data from Europe. BMC Endocr Disord. 2020;20:134.

[9]. Diabetes UK. How many people in the UK have diabetes?. 2022.

[10]. Kramer H, Shoham D. The Millennial Physician and the Obesity Epidemic.Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2019;14:4–6.

[11]. Jyotsna F, Ahmed A, Kumar K, Kaur P, Chaudhary MH, Kumar S, et al. Exploring the Complex Connection Between Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease: Analyzing Approaches to Mitigate Cardiovascular Risk in Patients With Diabetes. Cureus. 2023;15:e43882.

[12]. Alzamil H. Elevated Serum TNF-α Is Related to Obesity in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Is Associated with Glycemic Control and Insulin Resistance. J Obes. 2020;2020:5076858.

[13]. Kabir R, Hayhoe R, Bai ACM, Vinnakota D, Sivasubramanian M, Afework S, et al. The systematic literature review process: a simple guide for public health and allied health students. Int J Res Med Sci .2023;11:3498–506.

[14]. Alradie-Mohamed A, Kabir R, Arafat SMY. Decision-Making Process in Female Genital Mutilation: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17.

[15] Kabir R, Syed HZ, Vinnakota D, Okello S, Isigi SS, Abdul Kareem SK, et al. Suicidal behaviour among the university students in the UK: A systematic review. Heliyon. 2024;10:e24069.

[16]. Ahmed A, Tsiami A, Khan HTA. Effects of dietary and lifestyle management on type 2 diabetes development among ethnic minority adults living in the UK: A generational shift. Int J Gastron Food Sci. 2023;31:100634.

[17]. Alae-Carew C, Green R, Stewart C, Cook B, Dangour AD, Scheelbeek PFD. The role of plant-based alternative foods in sustainable and healthy food systems: Consumption trends in the UK. Sci Total Environ. 2022;807:151041.

[18]. Priporas C-V, Vellore-Nagarajan D, Kamenidou I (Eirini). Stressful eating indulgence by generation Z: a cognitive conceptual framework of new age consumers’ obesity. Eur J Mark .2022;56:2978–3006.

[19]. Kaylor , Sara K, Allen , Isabel, Crim , Anna Dailey, Callihan , Michael L. Calories and control: Eating habits, behaviors, and motivations of Generation Z females. J Am Coll Health. 2023;71:2578–86.

[20]. Burns C, Francis N. Type 2 Diabetes: Etiology, Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, and Treatment Metabolic Syndrome, Cham .Springer International Publishing;. 2023, p 509–28.

[21]. Bjornstad P, Chao LC, Cree-Green M, Dart AB, King M, Looker HC, et al. Youth-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus: an urgent challenge. Nat Rev Nephrol. 2023;19:168–84.

[22]. Naaz S. Knowledge, attitude and practices pertaining to healthy lifestyle in prevention and control of chronic diseases: a rapid review. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2021;8:5106.

[23]. Narula S, Nigam S. Understanding and Analysing the Role of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices for Prevention of Diabetes Sustainable Business Practices for Rural Development, Singapore. Springer Singapore;. 2020, p 41–67.

[24]. Sidhu T, Lemetyinen H, Edge D. ‘Diabetes doesn’t matter as long as we’re keeping traditions alive’: a qualitative study exploring the knowledge and awareness of Type 2 diabetes and related risk factors amongst the young Punjabi Sikh population in the UK. Ethn Health. 2022;27:781–99.

[25]. Sun C, Kovacs P, Guiu-Jurado E. Genetics of Body Fat Distribution: Comparative Analyses in Populations with European, Asian and African Ancestries. Genes (Basel). 2021;12.

[26]. Lane MM, Gamage E, Travica N, Dissanayaka T, Ashtree DN, Gauci S, et al. Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. Nutrients. 2022;14:2568.

[27]. Tahir NS, Ahmad Y, Bustami MR, Abd Hamid SNF, Muhammad Zamri NEM, Mulyany R. Understanding the Perception of Generation Z towards Fast Food’s Product Safety, Nutrition, and Health. Asian Journal of Environment-Behaviour Studies .2023;8:63–81.

[28]. Lustig RH. Ultraprocessed Food: Addictive, Toxic, and Ready for Regulation. Nutrients. 2020;12:3401.

[29]. Abbasi A, Juszczyk D, van Jaarsveld CHM, Gulliford MC. Body Mass Index and Incident Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Young Adults: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J Endocr Soc .2017;1:524–37.

[30]. Hwalla N, Jaafar Z, Sawaya S. Dietary Management of Type 2 Diabetes in the MENA Region: A Review of the Evidence. Nutrients .2021;13:1060.

[31]. Inaishi J, Saisho Y. Beta-Cell Mass in Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, and Its Relation to Pancreas Fat: A Mini-Review. Nutrients. 2020;12:3846.

[32]. Korac B, Kalezic A, Pekovic-Vaughan V, Korac A, Jankovic A. Redox changes in obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes. Redox Biol. 2021;42:101887.

[33]. Khin PP, Lee JH, Jun H-S. Pancreatic Beta-cell Dysfunction in Type 2 Diabetes. Eur J Inflamm. 2023;21.

[34]. Makowska M, Boguszewski R, Hrehorowicz A. Generational Differences in Food Choices and Consumer Behaviors in the Context of Sustainable Development. Foods. 2024;13:521.

[35]. Henney AE, Gillespie CS, Alam U, Hydes TJ, Boyland E, Cuthbertson DJ. Ultra‐processed food and non‐communicable diseases in the United Kingdom: A narrative review and thematic synthesis of literature. Obesity Reviews. 2024;25.

[36]. Lee H-J, Choi E-K, Han K-D, Kim DH, Lee E, Lee S-R, et al. High variability in bodyweight is associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a nationwide cohort study. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2020;19:78.

Google Schema Validator

How to Cite

Kiran, A., Davod, A., Cortnage, M., Hayhoe, R., & Kabir, R. (2025). Risk factors associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes in Generation Z in the United Kingdom. Evidence Public Health, 1(1). Retrieved from http://eph.evidencejournals.com/index.php/j/article/view/11

Download Citation

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright© by the author(s). Published by the Evidence Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Ayesha, Ali Davod Parsa, Mark Cortnage, Richard Hayhoe, Ahmad Neyazi, Russell Kabir, Breastfeeding practices and contributing factors among Afghan women: insights from the MICS Survey , Evidence Public Health: Vol. 1 No. 1 (2025): JAN-MAR
Muskan Sadik Kaliwala, Ali Davod, Mark Cortnage, Richard Hayhoe, Mehrab Neyazi, Russell Kabir, Menstruation and its effects on women’s mobility and social engagement in Afghanistan: insights from the 2022-2023 MICS survey , Evidence Public Health: Vol. 1 No. 1 (2025): JAN-MAR