Changes in the diet of a South Asian transmigratory population may be associated with an increase in incidence of childhood diabetes

Emigrants from Pakistan to Bradford, UK, have moved from an area of low to one of higher incidence of type 1 diabetes. South Asian children in this population have shown a marked rise in diabetes incidence. Changes in diet over the last 40 years were investigated as a potential explanatory factor. Dietary information were collected on (1) South Asian children aged 9 to 11 in Bradford (group 1, n = 204); (2) recalled childhood diet of adult Asians in Bradford aged 10 (group 2, n = 53); and (3) comparative children in Pakistan (group 3, n = 47). For groups 1 and 3, participants were asked to recall all items of food and drink consumed during the previous 24 hours. Nutrient intakes were generated from the raw food data using a computer algorithm. Broad food group consumption and median nutrient intakes were compared between groups. Food intake differed significantly in the Bradford children compared with their counterparts in Pakistan. The childhood diet recalled by adults was similar to that of children currently in Pakistan. Bradford children consumed higher quantities of food that contained more fat, protein, carbohydrate, and sugar than the other 2 groups. Bradford children were more likely to consume meat, fish, and fast food, although fewer vegetables and dairy products than the other groups. The diets of Pakistani children in Bradford differed significantly from their counterparts in Pakistan, both in broad content and nutrient composition. These dietary changes could be responsible for the increase in type 1 diabetes and for the emergence of type 2 diabetes in children.