Higher intake of dietary dicarbonyl compounds is associated with lower incidence of type 2 diabetes: European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-InterAct case-cohort study
Dicarbonyls are reactive precursors of advanced glycation end-products. They are formed during food processing, and endogenously in humans during glycolysis and lipid peroxidation. Higher plasma dicarbonyls, particularly methylglyoxal (MGO), promote insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, but the association between dietary dicarbonyls intake and type 2 diabetes is unknown. This study examined the associations between dietary dicarbonyls and type 2 diabetes incidence. 11,995 incident type 2 diabetes cases and a sub-cohort of 15,797 controls from the prospective multi-center European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-InterAct cohort were included. Intakes of three major dicarbonyls MGO, glyoxal [GO], and 3-deoxyglucosone [3-DG] were estimated at baseline using dietary questionnaires. Type 2 diabetes risk according to dietary dicarbonyl intake was estimated by multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios from Prentice-weighted Cox-regression analyses. Higher intakes of MGO (sample-specific mean intake 3.4 ± 1.3 mg/d) and 3-DG (13.8 ± 10.5) were associated with lower incidence of type 2 diabetes (HR 0.92 [95% CI 0.90–0.95] for 1 SD higher MGO intake and 0.93 [0.90–0.95] for 1 SD higher 3-DG intake). No associations were observed for dietary GO. Participants who consumed more dietary dicarbonyls MGO and 3-DG had a lower risk to develop type 2 diabetes. This protective association contrasts with the harmful effects on type 2 diabetes risk reported for endogenously formed dicarbonyls.
Authors
- Valeria Pala (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5438-970X)
- Daniel Borch Ibsen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7038-4770)
- Sofia Christakoudi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9219-4436)
- Viktoria Knaze
- Marta Farràs Mañé
- Nasser Laouali
- Fabrizio Pasanisi
- Giovanna Masala (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5758-9069)
- Cecilie Kyrø (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9083-8960)
- Nita G. Forouhi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5041-248X)
- Rashmita Bajracharya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2663-1367)
- A. Tjønneland
- Francesca Romana Mancini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2297-3869)
- Heinz Freisling (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8648-4998)
- Lorenzo Milani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2185-2179)
- Elisabete Weiderpass (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2237-0128)
- Simone J. P. M. Eussen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0559-6838)
- Philippe Vangrieken (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0871-7789)
- C. Moreno-Iribas
- M. Hajji
- Coen D. A. Stehouwer
- N J Wareham
- Miguel Rodríguez-Barranco
- Claudia Hana
- Ana-Lucia Mayen
- Marleen M. J. van Greevenbroek
- Verena Katzke
- Kim Maasen
- Keren Papier
- Sandra Milena Colorado Yohar
- Christina C. Dah
- Charlotte Debras
- Casper G. Schalkwijk
- Olatz Mokoroa
- Mazda Jenab
- Matthias B. Schulze
Institutions
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- University of Vienna (AT)
- Steno Diabetes Centers (DK)
- Inserm (FR)
- University of Potsdam (DE)
- German Cancer Research Center (DE)
- Copenhagen Business School (DK)
- King's College London (GB)
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR)
- Aarhus University (DK)
- Heidelberg University (DE)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Maastricht University Medical Centre (NL)
- Basque Government (ES)
- Institut Gustave Roussy (FR)
- Bellvitge University Hospital (ES)
- Maastricht University (NL)
- Universidad de Antioquia (CO)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Instituto de Salud Pública de Navarra (ES)
- Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (ES)
- Ministry of Health (ES)
- Centre de recherche en Epidémiologie et Santé des Populations (FR)
- Institut Català d'Oncologia (ES)
- Navarre Institute of Health Research (ES)
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (ES)
- Federico II University Hospital (IT)
- Department of Medical Sciences (BY)
- Onkologikoa (ES)
- Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (ES)
- Danish Cancer Society (DK)
- Deutsches Diabetes-Zentrum e.V. (DE)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (ES)
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (IT)
- MRC Epidemiology Unit (GB)
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DE)
- German Institute of Human Nutrition (DE)
- Centre international de recherche sur le cancer (FR)
- Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (DE)
- Imperial College London (GB)
- Andalusian School of Public Health (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- European Journal of Nutrition
- Published
- 2026-03-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-026-03904-0
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Glycation End Products research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00