WHO calls for healthier diets to combat alarming surge in diabetes
WHO calls for healthier diets to combat alarming surge in diabetes
(original article from The Guardian)
"World Health Organisation warns that potentially life-threatening diabetes is now four times more common than it was in 1980
Governments around the world must act to ensure people can make healthier food choices, says the World Health Organisation on Wednesday in a report (pdf) revealing that potentially life-threatening diabetes is now four times more common than it was in 1980.
There are 422 million adults living with diabetes globally, most of them in poorer countries with limited access to treatment although the numbers are rising everywhere, says the report released for World Health Day on Thursday. That is 8.5% of the global adult population. In 1980, there were 108 million, which was 4.7%.
There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 begins usually in childhood and the causes are unclear. The big increase in numbers is in type 2, which is linked to obesity and decreasing levels of physical activity.
'If we are to make any headway in halting the rise in diabetes, we need to rethink our daily lives: to eat healthily, be physically active and avoid excessive weight gain,' said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO director general. 'Even in the poorest settings, governments must ensure that people are able to make these healthy choices and that health systems are able to diagnose and treat people with diabetes.'
More than one in three people in the world are overweight today and one in 10 obese - many of them in the developing countries where eating habits and activity levels are altering fast, said Dr Etienne Krug, director of WHO's department for the management of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease..."
More information on People First, and other support organisations
- Diabetes page on People First, click for information, links and help on diabetes issues.
- Know Diabetes - the local website for residents of Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.
- Diabetes Support Information Exhange A website forum for everyone who wishes to discuss diabetes.
- Black and Ethnic Minority Diabates Assocation (BEMDA) is a user-led organisation to promote the health of diabetics in the community and reduce the impact of diabetes related health problems in Black and Ethnic Minority communities in particular.