New | Diabetes cases soar fourfold in a generation, to 422 million worldwide
Eat healthily, be physically active, and avoid excessive weight gain, WHO chief Margaret Chan urges as global body releases report showing one in 12 people living with diabetes
The world has seen a nearly four-fold increase in diabetes cases over the last quarter-century, driven by excessive weight, obesity, ageing and population growth, the World Health Organization reported Wednesday, adding that 422 million people were affected in 2014.
In a new report on diabetes, the UN health agency called for stepped-up measures to reduce risk factors for diabetes and improve treatment and care. WHO said 8.5 per cent of the world population had diabetes two years ago, up from 4.7 per cent, or 108 million, in 1980.
“We need to rethink our daily lives: to eat healthily, be physically active and avoid excessive weight gain,” WHO director general Dr Margaret Chan said.
The Geneva-based agency blamed growing consumption of food and beverages high in sugar for the increase in diabetes. The disease increased around the world but affects lower- and middle-income people more often than wealthier populations.
Diabetes rates rose the most in Africa, the Middle East and Asia — with the “Eastern Mediterranean” region more than doubling its prevalence to 13.7 per cent of the population, the only world region with a double-digit percentage.
Diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body either does not make enough insulin to break down the sugar in foods or uses insulin inefficiently. It can cause early death or serious complications like blindness, stroke, kidney disease, amputation and heart disease.
