> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://newsletters.qs.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ✍🏻 2x Female Literacy. US Diabetes Climbs. Healthier Meat Alternatives. - URL: https://newsletters.qs.com/2x-female-literacy-us-diabetes-climbs-healthier-meat-alternatives/ - Published: 2024-03-29T12:45:11.000Z - Updated: 2024-03-29T12:45:11.000Z - Description: Chart of the Day #60 looks at Global Literacy Rates, Meat Substitutes and Pre-Pregnancy Diabetes. - Author: QS - Tags: Charts [**Bok**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian%5Flanguage?ref=newsletters.qs.com) **🍷** Scientists at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre For Advanced Scientific Research have developed a silk-based hydrogel system mimicking the pancreas, potentially [revolutionizing insulin delivery](https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/jncasr-scientists-develop-pancreas-mimicking-system-for-responsive-insulin-delivery-in-diabetes-treatment/article67975149.ece?ref=newsletters.qs.com) for diabetes treatment. A [study](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2815684?utm%5Fcampaign=articlePDF&utm%5Fmedium=articlePDFlink&utm%5Fsource=articlePDF&utm%5Fcontent=jamanetworkopen.2024.1147) published recently found that individuals sleeping less than 6 hours daily had a higher risk of developing Type-2 diabetes compared with those with 7 to 8 hours of sleep. ### Today's Topics - ✍🏻 **Global Literacy.** Female literacy rate grows 2x that of males - 🍗 **Meat Substitutes.** US views meat alternatives as healthier - 🩸 **Pre-Pregnancy Diabetes.** Pre-pregnancy diabetes rates increase in US *For unlimited access to over one million charts,* [*request a demo*](https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/1uMbIPRqUeVuZ31jVtKWMWIuqU2ga1nKo8aotNdGihU16zgOzuTfRMb9XfIIGmcOT?ref=newsletters.qs.com)*.* ## ✍🏻 Female Literacy Rate Grows 2x That of Males ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f1/d4/f1d411df-6f49-4c75-a302-f8c9e9f59495/content/images/2024/03/HolonIQ_Global_literacy_rate_by_gender_2000_2020_HCHOC23EEH4Q75HHBLJH.png) Women's literacy globally has grown rapidly over the past two decades, at a rate twice that of men. Despite progress in literacy rates, a persistent gap of 6.6% exists between men and women as of 2020\. Despite the narrowing gap from the 1990's onwards, [women still face unequal access and outcomes](https://news.un.org/en/story/2017/04/555752?ref=newsletters.qs.com) in education. While regions like [Western Asia and Northern Africa](https://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/fs3-adult-and-youth-literacy-global-trends-in-gender-parity-2010-en.pdf?ref=newsletters.qs.com) have made notable progress towards gender parity in literacy, others such as Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania continue to lag behind. [Various factors](https://www.unicef.org/education/girls-education?ref=newsletters.qs.com#:~:text=The%20reasons%20are%20many.,or%20sanitation%20needs%20of%20girls) like poverty, child marriage, and gender-based violence create barriers to girls' education, differing across countries and communities. Often, impoverished families [prioritize](https://www.graygroupintl.com/blog/gender-disparity-in-education?ref=newsletters.qs.com) investing in boys' education. ## 🍗 US Views Meat Alternatives as Healthier ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f1/d4/f1d411df-6f49-4c75-a302-f8c9e9f59495/content/images/2024/03/HolonIQ_Survey_of_US_Consumers_What_are_your_primary_reasons_for_consuming_meat_substitutes_2021_HCHH1RXRAJY3K3ZXD062--1-.png) Two innovative meat substitutes, plant-based and cell-cultured meat, are gaining popularity as sustainable alternatives. Leading brands like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have driven the US market to $1.4 billion in 2021, while overall US meat sales have declined. Long-term, plant-based foods drive growth as US consumers perceive meat substitutes as healthier, with recent [taste and quality improvements](https://www.innovamarketinsights.com/trends/plant-based-alternatives-in-the-meat-substitutes-market/?ref=newsletters.qs.com#:~:text=Approximately%2010%25%20of%20total%20ready,of%20plant%2Dbased%20prepared%20foods.) reinforcing this trend. As the market grows and technology is integrated into production, the cost of producing meat alternatives is also declining. Cell-cultured meat shows promising cost reductions from [$1.2 million per pound in 2013 to about $50 per pound in 2020](https://ag.purdue.edu/commercialag/home/paer-article/the-rise-of-meat-substitute-consumption-and-its-impact-on-the-u-s-soybean-industry/?ref=newsletters.qs.com). ## 🩸 Pre-Pregnancy Diabetes Rates Increase in US ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f1/d4/f1d411df-6f49-4c75-a302-f8c9e9f59495/content/images/2024/03/HolonIQ_Pre_pregnancy_diabetes_rates_in_the_US_2016_2021_Diabetics_per_Thousand_Births_HCHQEB6J3ZKSPDBMB4WM.png) Pregestational diabetes rates have risen, increasing by 27% in 2021 compared to 2016\. Pregestational diabetes, where a woman has diabetes before pregnancy, poses risks for both [mother and fetus](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572754/?ref=newsletters.qs.com). Driven by poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyles, there's been a [32% increase](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10399637/?ref=newsletters.qs.com) in diabetes among mothers aged 20–24 between 2016 and 2022\. In 2021, pregestational diabetes rates in the US were lowest among White mothers, slightly higher for Hispanic and Asian mothers, and [significantly higher](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr72/nvsr72-06.pdf?ref=newsletters.qs.com) for African Americans, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian mothers. --- **Like getting this newsletter?* For unlimited access to over one million charts,* [*request a demo*](https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/1uMbIPRqUeVuZ31jVtKWMWIuqU2ga1nKo8aotNdGihU16zgOzuTfRMb9XfIIGmcOT?ref=newsletters.qs.com)*.* --- **Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!** Have some feedback or want to sponsor this newsletter? Let us know at hello@holoniq.com