Overview

• The International Diabetes Federation formally classified malnutrition‑related diabetes as Type 5 and launched a working group to define diagnostic and treatment guidance.
• Researchers describe Type 5 as driven by chronic undernutrition and impaired pancreatic development, typically in lean individuals with low BMI and reduced insulin production.
• U.S. scientists and clinicians are calling for care centered on nutritional rehabilitation, cautious low‑dose insulin when needed, and diet strategies such as higher protein intake.
• Formal diagnostic criteria and standardized treatment protocols are in progress, and the American Diabetes Association and World Health Organization have not adopted the category.
• Reporting cites research that millions in parts of Africa and Asia may be affected, with symptoms overlapping other diabetes types, raising risks from misclassification and inappropriate therapy.