The urban areas, where economic development is at its fastest and traditional dietary practices are eroded most quickly, are the hotspots for diabetes in China.
The populous country has the highest number of diabetics globally – about 141 million in 2021. Health experts believe that the major causes of this surge are urbanization and rising living standards coupled with an aging population.
At the same waist circumference, Chinese Americans typically have more body fat than white Americans. High waist circumference is associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes. Chinese Americans typically consume more simple carbohydrates, especially rice and noodles.
Diabetes prevalence in Chinese adults aged 20–79 years was projected to increase from 8.2% to 9.7% during 2020–2030. During the same period, the total costs of diabetes would increase from $250.2 billion to $460.4 billion, corresponding to an annual growth rate of 6.32%.
Meanwhile, African nations like Benin and The Gambia recorded the lowest prevalence of diabetes in the world. In 2021, African countries had a combined total of 23.6 million adults with diabetes, less than 2% of the continent's population.
In Japan, aging and obesity contribute to the increase in diabetes prevalence. Of this, the rapidly aging population is a major concern, which makes disease management a challenge. Apart from disease management, the economic impact of diabetes in Japan is significant.
How common is diabetes? In 2020, an estimated 1 in 20 (almost 1.3 million) Australians were living with diabetes (prevalence) and were registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme - external site opens in new window (NDSS) and Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group (APEG) state-based registers.
Diabetes rates vary greatly around the world. Pakistan has the highest diabetes rate at 30.8%, followed by Kuwait at 24.9%, and Nauru, New Caledonia, and the Northern Mariana Islands, all at 23.4%. On the other hand, countries with the lowest diabetes rates include Eritrea, Somalia, and Guinea-Bissau, all below 1%.
China is the country with the highest number of diabetics worldwide, with around 141 million people suffering from the disease. By the year 2045, it is predicted that China will have around 174 million people with diabetes.
Why are Indigenous Australians at greater risk of diabetes? In Australia, the rising number of people affected by type 2 diabetes is most likely driven by increasing rates of obesity, decreased rates of physical activity, dietary changes and an ageing population.
Some lean protein choices include chicken, lean ground pork and fish. These proteins are often used in Chinese main dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken with Bell Peppers. Plant-based proteins, such as tofu, are also found in Chinese dishes. Tofu may be used as a meat alternative, providing protein from soybeans.
Research has shown that Asian subjects exhibit higher glucose excursion during an oral glucose challenge, suggesting lower beta-cell function to overcome insulin resistance than non-Asians. These biological differences put Asian people at higher risk of developing diabetes.
Millions of women and more than 40% of children are malnourished across the country, Jawad said. These women give birth to malnourished babies, increasing the risk of childhood diabetes, she added. A lack of access to affordable education in Pakistan also plays a role in growing diabetes cases.
Vitamin D deficiency is common in Egypt due to a lack of sun exposure, and it has been linked to obesity and diabetes [7-10]. Egypt has the world's highest incidence of chronic hepatitis C infection.
Although not everyone with type 2 diabetes is overweight, obesity and an inactive lifestyle are two of the most common causes of type 2 diabetes. These things are responsible for about 90% to 95% of diabetes cases in the United States.
India is often referred to as the 'Diabetes Capital of the World', as it accounts for 17%percent of the total number of diabetes patients in the world. There are currently close to 80 million people with diabetes in India and this number is expected to increase to 135 million by 2045.
If you have a mother, father, sister, or brother with diabetes, you are more likely to get diabetes yourself. You are also more likely to have prediabetes. Talk to your doctor about your family health history of diabetes.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
After controlling for differences in the age structures between the populations, based on self-reported and measured results, Indigenous Australians were almost 3 times as likely to have diabetes as their non-Indigenous counterparts (12.6% compared with 4.3%).
The chart shows the increasing prevalence of diabetes in 2020 by 5-year age groups, peaking in the 80–84 age group for both males and females (22.1% and 17.1%, respectively). The prevalence of diabetes is consistently higher among males than females from age 35 and over.
Diabetes Australia is a not-for-profit organisation supported financially by the community.
The factors associated with T2DM seem more pronounced in the Arab world. Although genetic risk factors can't be ruled out in the context of T2DM in the Arab world, factors such as obesity, rapid urbanization and lack of exercise are key determinants of the rapid increase of the rate of T2DM among the Arab world[5].
Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is one of the fastest-growing health problem in the world, which is now reaching to epidemic proportion in some countries. It is mainly due to consequence of life-style as lack of exercise, unhealthy diet, obesity and overweight.
Singapore's ageing population
At a population level, the rapidly ageing population and low mortality rates will increase the proportion of people living with diabetes.
Increased use of carbonated drinks and foods high in sugar, such as baked products made from white flour, processed and packed ready-to-eat foods, and fried foods, has contributed to an unhealthy eating pattern among Americans. These foods can induce chronic inflammation, a factor that can lead to diabetes.