Diabetes strikes the young

MEDICAL MATTERS

JAKARTA — Diabetes is spiralling in Asia but — unlike the West — those affected are relatively young and less likely to be struggling with obesity, a new study shows.

Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association yesterday said the disease has turned into a global problem, with the number of victims expected to grow from 240 million in 2007 to 380 million in 2025.

More than 60 per cent of those will be in Asia, the world's fastest growing region, with low- and middle-income countries hardest hit.

India will see its numbers grow from 40 million to nearly 70 million; China 39 million to 59 million; and Bangladesh 3.8 million to 7.4 million. Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and others will also see their figures skyrocket.

Mr Frank Hu, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, noted that Asia's escalating epidemic could "erase economic gains made in recent decades".

But the most startling findings related to body mass and age.

Obesity has long been seen as a major factor leading to Type 2 diabetes in Europe and North America.

But while Asians still weigh less than their Western counterparts, they have become fatter around the waist — seen as particularly detrimental with respect to diabetes.

The study also showed that while the disease most often affects people between the ages of 60 and 79 in North America and Europe, the age in Asia tends to be disproportionately lower, ranging between 20 years to 59.

This appears to be the result of both low birth weights, which are common in developing countries, and over-nutrition in later life.

Asian women are also two- to three-times as likely to have gestational diabetes as their Western counterparts. AP

From TODAYOnline.com, World News – Thursday, 28-May-2009; see the source article here.

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