WHO Calls For Healthier Diets To Combat Alarming Surge In Diabetes

WHO calls for healthier diets to combat alarming surge in diabetes

WHO calls for healthier diets to combat alarming surge in diabetes
World Health Organisation says there were 422 million adults living with diabetes in 2014, a fourfold increase since 1980
Last modified on Tue 28 Nov 2017 18.42EST
The biggest increase is in type 2 diabetes, linked to obesity and decreasing levels of physical activity.Photograph: Christian K Lee/AP
Governments around the world must act to ensure people can make healthier food choices, the World Health Organisation has said in a report (pdf) revealing a fourfold increase in global diabetes cases since 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.
Diabetes in India rising, with women at a particular disadvantage
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 Continue reading

Rate this article

Total 1 ratings

The Unrelenting Global March Of Diabetes [Infographic]

A major new report from the World Health Organization has revealed that global diabetes cases have almost quadrupled to 422 million in 2014 from 108 million in 1980. Diabetes now affects nearly one in 11 adults with high blood sugar levels linked to 3.8 million deaths every year. Even though the report covers both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, the latter (which is connected to poor lifestyle) is primarily responsible for the majority of cases.
The Eastern-Mediterranean region has experienced the most dramatic increase in diabetes cases since 1980. Back then, 5.9 percent of that region's population had diabetes and that increased to 13.7 percent by 2014. During the same time frame, the number of adults with diabetes in the Americas region went from 18 million to 62 million. Accounting for approximately 1.5 million deaths each year, diabetes is the world's eighth biggest killer.
*Click below to enlarge (charted by Statista) Continue reading

WHO: Diabetes cases in adults quadrupled since 1980

The World Health Organization released its first global report on diabetes on Wednesday, a day before World Health Day. The agency warned that if left unchecked, the disease could soon be one of the top causes of death worldwide.
"Globally, an estimated 422 million adults were living with diabetes in 2014, compared to 108 million in 1980," the UN agency said, warning that the condition had worsened due to worldwide changes "in the way people eat, move and live."
According to WHO, the disease directly caused 1.5 million deaths in 2012 - the latest year available for global figures - but high blood-glucose levels related to diabetes caused an additional 2.2 deaths that year.
The report states that, given the current upward trend, diabetes could become one of the top seven causes of death worldwide by 2030, or even earlier.
Asian regions most affected
The Western Pacific region - which includes China and Japan - was the worst region to be affected with 131 million estimated cases in 2014. The heavily-populated Southeast Asia region - including Indonesia and India - was the second-most affected, with 96 million cases.
Europe and the Americas came in third and fourth on the list, with 64 million and 62 million respective cases.
"Over the past decade, diabetes prevalence has risen faster in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries," the report stated. Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General said the data shows diabetes is "no longer a disease of predominantly rich nations."
"If we are to make any headway in halting the rise in diabetes, we need to rethink ou Continue reading

Whole Milk And Full-Fat Dairy May Help You Maintain Weight, Reduce Diabetes Risk

Poor nutrition is a cause of poor health. While many of us are aware of this fact and want to eat right and improve our health, we sometimes feel confused by the often contradictory messages and scientific findings appearing in the daily news. Tufts University delivered one such surprise this week, turning the tables on low-fat food advocates.
People who eat full-fat dairy products are less likely to develop diabetes than those who grimly consume low-fat (and low-pleasure) dairy alternatives, say the Tufts researchers.
Led by Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, the research team looked at circulating blood biomarkers and 15 years of data for 3,333 adults participating in the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. The team discovered participants with the highest levels of dairy fat in their blood had up to 46 percent lower risk of developing diabetes over the 15-year span compared to those who had the lowest levels of dairy fats in their blood.
“There is no prospective human evidence that people who eat low-fat dairy do better than people who eat whole-fat dairy,” Mozaffarian told Time Magazine. Apparently, skim milk is not the hero we once believed.
Fat, Carbs, Sugar
“Fat gives things flavor,” Julia Child famously said. Anyone doubting the truth of her assertion need only taste, side by side, skim and full-fat milk or low-fat and full-fat yogurt. Taste buds (and Child) never lie.
Yet, full-fat dairy products contain more calories than lower fat dairy products and many people want to avoid putting on the extra pounds — one of many risk factors for d Continue reading

Full-fat milk may protect from diabetes, study finds

Skim milk is widely thought to be the best choice for those aiming to lose weight and be healthier, but a new study found that people who consumed full-fat dairy had a lower risk of diabetes, compared to those who did not.
Researchers from Tufts University and Harvard University studied circulating blood biomarkers and 15 years of data for 3,333 adults participating in the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. They observed that those with the highest levels of dairy fat in their blood had a 46 percent lower risk of developing diabetes over the study span, compared to those who had the lowest levels of dairy fats in their blood, Medical Daily reported.
“I think these findings together with those from other studies do call for a change in the policy of recommending only low-fat dairy products,” study author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian told Time. “There is no prospective human evidence that people who eat low-fat dairy do better than people who eat whole-fat dairy.”
While many people shifted from regular dairy to skim in order to avoid the calories from full-fat dairy, past research has shown a tendency to replace fat with sugar or carbohydrates— two culprits that are even worse for diabetes risk. Three years ago, Swedish researchers observed that middle-aged men who ate high-fat dairy products were significantly less likely to become obese over 12 years, compared to men who never or rarely ate such foods, Medical Daily reported.
Mozaffarian noted that results are preliminary and should not yet be taken as diet advice.
The study was published Continue reading