Malnutrition‑linked diabetes named 'Type 5'

An international team and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) have moved to formalize a long‑recognized, malnutrition‑associated form of diabetes under the name 'Type 5' diabetes. The IDF adopted the designation in April 2025, and a Lancet Global Health perspective published in September 2025 urges the World Health Organization and other bodies to recognize the classification so clinicians and patients receive appropriate, safer care. Researchers estimate the condition could affect as many as 25 million people across malnutrition‑affected regions in South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, and standard insulin regimens used for Type 1 diabetes can be dangerous in some of these patients.