Global Warming May Affect Type 2 Diabetes Incidence. A Possible Contribution of Gender-Related Dietary Choices

Growing evidence suggests that the increase in global temperatures is partly driving the rise in type 2 diabetes (T2DM), with dietary choices playing a key mediating role. This review offers a novel perspective on the complex feedback loop involving gen-dered dietary behaviours, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), climate change, and T2DM risk. Diets high in red meat and ultra-processed foods contribute substantially to green-house gas emissions (GHGE), while plant-based diets offer both environmental and health benefits. Biological sex and gender influence physiological vulnerability and di-etary patterns, noting that women typically consume less meat and have metabolic characteristic that differently influence diabetes risk compared to men. We performed a comprehensive literature search to collect information on dietary behaviours, GHGE, ambient temperature, and diabetes outcomes, with a particular focus on sex and gen-der differences. Evidence indicates that rising global temperatures impairs glucose homeostasis, spe-cifically through a reduced activity of brown adipose tissue and increased insulin re-sistance, thereby exacerbating diabetes risk. Gender-specific dietary choices not only affect individual and collective contributions to climate change but also modulate vulnerability to climate-related health risks, including diabetes. Modelling studies suggest that shifting to plant-based diets, especially among men, could significantly reduce both GHGE and diabetes burden. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating sex and gender perspectives into dietary strategies to develop targeted mitigation measures against climate change while improving metabolic health world-wide.