Professor Zia ul Haq, the Vice Chancellor of Khyber Medical University, said there are “multiple” reasons for the high prevalence of diabetes in Pakistan – “from high levels of obesity and tobacco use to a lack of exercise and availability of fatty, fast foods.”
It has been proposed that arsenic and pesticides applied to crops and in the soil may contribute to the very high prevalence of diabetes in Pakistan [10]. Another possibility is environmental agents that directly damage pancreatic beta cells. This is an area that we plan to explore in the future.
The IDF ranked Pakistan first place for having the highest comparative diabetes prevalence rate in 2021 at 30.8%, followed by French Polynesia (25.2%) and Kuwait (24.9%).
However, Pakistan has the highest number of diabetes patients in the world. According to World of Statistics, a group supported by the Georgia State University Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Pakistan has a diabetes prevalence rate of 30.8 percent.
China is the country with the highest number of diabetics worldwide, with around 141 million people suffering from the disease.
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.
Why are Indians more susceptible to diabetes? We are experiencing several environmental and lifestyle changes because of industrialization, migration to urban areas, rising per capita spending, and a culture of eating out. This has resulted in consumption of food items with high-calorie/high-fat and high-sugar.
The findings are critical as Singapore is second only to the United States in having the highest incidence of diabetes among developed nations. About 400,000 Singaporeans are diabetic and one in three has a lifetime risk of developing the disease.
If you have diabetes, choose more high-fibre foods. A type of fibre called soluble fibre may help control blood sugar levels. Try these high-fibre foods: Vegetables: cauliflower, okra (Bhindi), eggplant (Brinjal/Baingan), bitter melon (Karela), spinach, potato, corn, sweet potato, broccoli, carrots.
Diabetes is also more common among African-Americans and Asian Americans compared to whites. Hispanics living in the U.S. are 17% more likely to have Type 2 diabetes than non-Hispanic white people. Rates can vary by ethnicity, too. Asian Indians are 2-3 times as likely to get diabetes as Korean Americans are.
In addition, approximately 1.6 billion (or 23%) of the world's population are Muslims, and this number is growing at a rate of 3% per year [11]. Approximately 90 million Muslims are living with diabetes [3].
Rice, wheat-based flatbread (roti, chappti, paratha, puri), lentils (dal), vegetables (sabzi), yogurt, and fruits (eaten with a dash of salt) are staples through out the country. The average Pakistani consumes three main meals; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A very popular breakfast is Halva Puri.
If diabetes continues to rise at the current rates, up to 3 million Australians over the age of 25 years will have diabetes by the year 2025. For type 2, this is likely driven by rising obesity, the ageing population, dietary changes, and sedentary lifestyles.
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.
Thus primary prevention of diabetes can be achieved by decreasing insulin resistance through correction of obesity and increased physical activity and by the promotion of healthy nutritional trends (reduction in the consumption of fat and refined carbohydrates and increase in fibre content of the diet).
So, the combination of a genetic predisposition and an unhealthy lifestyle contributes to the high rates of type 2 diabetes in Indigenous Australians.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. But many Chinese Americans who have diabetes are not overweight or obese. Various studies have found Chinese Americans are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than their white American counterparts, despite having lower body weight.
We hypothesise that the high diabetes susceptibility in South Asians is evolutionarily set through dual parallel and/or interacting mechanisms: reduced beta cell function and impaired insulin action owing to low lean mass, which is further accentuated by ectopic fat deposition in the liver and muscle.
About 88 million people have prediabetes, a precursor to type 2 diabetes. There is no cure for type 2 diabetes. But it may be possible to reverse the condition to a point where you do not need medication to manage it and your body does not suffer ill effects from having blood sugar levels that are too high.
There could be several explanations for the rise in type 2 diabetes, including the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity. The presence of diabetes in people of childbearing age might be another important factor, because maternal diabetes increases risk of diabetes in children.
Although there's no cure for type 2 diabetes, studies show it's possible for some people to reverse it. Through diet changes and weight loss, you may be able to reach and hold normal blood sugar levels without medication. This doesn't mean you're completely cured. Type 2 diabetes is an ongoing disease.
As per IDF 2021 estimates, 11 million adults in Japan have diabetes. The high prevalence of diabetes is associated with a significant economic burden and can be attributed to lifestyle changes and increased longevity. This article highlights the current scenario of diabetes in Japan with insights from Dr.
The prevalence of diabetes has been on the rise in Japan in recent years. The increase can be ascribed to a sedentary lifestyle and increased fat consumption. Although obesity rates are lower in Japan than in the West, it is estimated that more than 12 million Japanese have high sugar levels.
– Diabetes care forerunners such as Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark have a strong fundament for screening, registration and follow up for diabetes cases, explains Dr. Bjornberg, head of HCP Index research. Fewer people fall between chairs and risk having complications.