Junk Food Blamed for Huge Rise in Diabetes

January 5, 2002 - Scientists have blamed unhealthy Western lifestyles for an 11 per cent rise in diabetes sufferers over the past five years.

The number of adults afflicted with the disease worldwide has risen to 151 million — five per cent of the total population. Experts are predicting that the figure could double by 2025 as Western eating habits and unhealthy living styles become fashionable around the globe. Trends have revealed that younger people are increasingly likely to fall victim to diabetes, which is controlled either by diet, tablets or insulin injections. More than half of sufferers are aged 20 to 59, according to research carried out by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).

Those living in urban areas and on low incomes were three times more likely to suffer as those in rural areas. Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death in developed countries. About 1.4 million people in Britain have already been diagnosed and a further million have the disease but are unaware of it.

It occurs when the body fails to produce enough insulin or use it effectively and if untreated victims can suffer heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation.

Doctors have long feared that the rising tide of obesity could trigger an increase. A well-balanced diet and physical exercise lowers blood sugar and helps the body to use it efficiently while being overweight increases the risk.

A total of 20 per cent of women and 17 per cent of men in Britain are classified as obese and half of all adults are considered medically overweight. The National Health Service is believed to spend more money treating diseases resulting from people being overweight than on diseases that result from smoking.

Professor George Alberti, the IDF president, said: “Diabetes can cause an enormous burden to people and economies worldwide and this research should convince governments to put it at the top of the healthcare agenda.”

Experts claim that health is deteriorating not because we are consuming more calories, but because we are eating poorer quality food with fewer vegetables and processed meals. The introduction of fatty Western foods, such as fast food, red meat and bread, are said to have led to health problems in Japan and China.

A Diabetes UK spokesman said: “The Government needs to ensure adequate health care resources for all to help avoid the costly long-term effects, such as blindness and heart disease, associated with the condition. The public should be aware of the risk factors of diabetes, such as being overweight, over 40, having a family history of the disease and being Asian or Afro-Caribbean.”

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Also see: Obese Kids = Diabetes Epidemic