Looking At Diabetes Around The World

Diabetes is a huge worldwide problem. A publication entitled Diabetes Care, published in October 2004, assessed that nearly 171 million people around the world had diabetes in 2000 and that by the year 2030, the number would explode to more than 366 million.

It appears that diabetes is mostly centered in areas where large food supplies tempt people to indulge and consume far more calories than they need. This usually brings on unwanted weight gain, a common thread in many diabetes cases. To be sure, there are several types of diabetes. By far, the most common is type 2 diabetes, which seems to be more common in those overweight.

Another component in the number of diabetes cases exploding around the world is that the life expectancy of the population is increasing. Is there a connection? Well, it appears that as some people get older, their chances of developing diabetes increases. Obesity coupled with age appear to be major risk factors for diabetes. So, as an aging population grows on our planet, and other diseases are controlled, an increase is diabetes seems to be apparent.

One interesting study followed the people of Japanese ancestry as they traveled from Japan to residing in Hawaii to living in the United States. The results were amazing. In Japan, where people routinely maintained their normal weight, there were very few incidents of diabetes. As some of them moved to Hawaii, the occurrence of diabetes began to rise along with their average weight. When it came to making the move to the United States, where all kinds of food are plentiful, the rates increased dramatically.

Generally speaking, as people migrate, not only does their caloric intake increase, but the composition of their diets change as well. Before migrating, people tended to consume a low-fat, high-fiber diet. After arriving at their destination, they adopt the local way of eating. Which unfortunately is higher in fat and lower in fiber. The carbohydrates in the new diet are from high-energy foods, which are usually filling, encouraging the taking in of more calories.

There's another lesson to be learned from the Japanese in regard to the place of obesity as a factor blood sugar disorders. In order to fight in a certain weight class, Japanese sumo wrestlers have to put on an enormous amount of weight. There seems to be a connection between this behavior and increased incidents of diabetes. They even demonstrate a high occurrence of diabetes while actively competing. As you can imagine, that's why as a group after they retire the incidence of diabetes shoots up an alarming 40%!

Another group of people that have shown the consequences of switching from a moderately nutritious food intake to one high in calories is the North American Indian. The Pima Indian tribe in particular have a diabetic rate as high as 1 out of 2 people. Ironically, a South American Chilean Indian tribe have rare cases of diabetes, believed to be due in part to maintaining a more traditional diet.

Physicians are seeing dramatic increases in diabetes in the economic powerhouse country of China. Even among the migrant population, due to the introduction and availability of various foods, diabetes rates are higher.

In 2005, approximately 20.8 million people in the united states had diabetes. Amazingly, this number represents about about 7 to 8 percent of the population. Only about two-thirds of the people with diabetes have a clue that they have the condition. The goal going forward is to get people to have their blood glucose levels checked routinely as they are having their cholesterol levels monitored.

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