India to have most diabetics in world

[The Straight Story]

India to have most diabetics in world

NEW DELHI, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- India is projected to have 50.8 million diabetics by next year, making it the diabetics' capital of the world, the International Diabetes Federation warns.

Worse still, the agency says, that number is expected to jump to 87 million or 8.4 percent of country's adult population by 2030, the Times of India reported Wednesday. IDF is headquartered in Brussels.

Currently, seven percent of Indian adults suffer from the metabolic disease, blamed largely on sedentary lifestyle, faulty diet and high stress.

China, the second country on the list, currently is reported to have 43.2 million diabetics. That number is expected to reach 62.6 million by 2030, says the IDF.

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/10/21/India-to-have-most-diabetics-in-world/UPI-54241256127678/

[DemBones DemBones]

1. too bad article does not explain why

the indian diet is faulty. we sure hear a lot about why the american diet is faulty. is india full of fast food places and vending machines now?

[Barack_America]

3. Seems to be the case.

http://www.mendosa.com/diabetesindia.htm

[La Lioness Priyanka]

2. most number or higher percent?

most number would mean nothing since india/china are highly populous

anyhow the current indian diet is quite awful

[Vehl]

5. I agree

% would be a better way to gauge such trends than looking at numbers alone....
comparing a country with more than a Bilion people with smaller(population wise) countries might result in very misleading information

[Vehl]

4. The sad result of dietary and lifestyle change happening too fast...

....In this developing nation.


The diets native to those countries usually relied on the fact that the person will engage in somewhat strenuous physical activity. What happens today is that not only the lifestyle has become more sedentary but the diet itself has changed for the worse...with more and more people taking the "easy way" by consuming fast/processed food in alarming quantities.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

6. Yup. also, huge difference in wealth between parts of population

so some are starving, whereas others consume too much

[Vehl]

7. Yep

The disparity is really heartbreaking to see. :(


Yet another factor that might play a significant role in this increased diabetics # is the movement of people from the villages to the cities. South Asia, being a traditionally village-centric society; built its dietary needs around the village-centric model. Those who moved to the cities still hold onto this model and maybe consume a little more than they actually need.

When I was a kid I used to have at least one curry that had coconut milk as an ingredient.But to continue to eat it every single day will be detrimental to our health...yet most people still do so..even though no one works in the farms anymore..at least in the past few generations.I guess dietary choices are as ingrained as cultural and religious ones...


ps: I do however buy those canned "coconut milk" once in a while to spice up my food :D