Title: Globalization of Diabetes | Diabetes Care
Headings: Globalization of Diabetes
Globalization of Diabetes
The role of diet, lifestyle, and genes
Abstract
THE GLOBAL BURDEN OF TYPE 2 DIABETES
EPICENTERS OF DIABETES
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
Obesity and fat distribution
Diet
Physical activity
Smoking
Alcohol use
Linking Western dietary pattern, inflammation, and type 2 diabetes
GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY AND GENE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS
THE THRIFTY GENOTYPE VERSUS THE THRIFTY PHENOTYPE
PREVENTABILITY OF TYPE 2 DIABETES
CONCLUSIONS
Acknowledgments
References
In this Issue

Content: 4 ]). Compared with Western populations, Asians develop diabetes at younger ages, at lower degrees of obesity, and at much higher rates given the same amount of weight gain ( 3 ). Asian women are also at greater risk of gestational diabetes, thereby putting their children at risk for type 2 diabetes later in life. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
Obesity and fat distribution
Overweight and obesity are driving the global diabetes epidemic. They affect the majority of adults in most developed countries and are increasing rapidly in developing countries. If current worldwide trends continue, the number of overweight people (BMI ≥25 kg/m 2) is projected to increase from 1.3 billion in 2005 to nearly 2.0 billion by 2030 ( 6 ). Compared with Western populations, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Asia is relatively low, but it is increasing precipitously in parallel with economic development and rapid urbanization. In the past several decades, China's gross domestic product per capita has grown at an average annual rate of nearly 10% ( 7 ). Meanwhile, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Chinese adults increased from 20% in 1992 to 29.9% in 2002 ( 8 ). In Asia, obesity rates do not directly correspond with diabetes rates.