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: Nonetheless, interactions between Westernized diet and lifestyle and genetic background may accelerate the growth of diabetes in the context of rapid nutrition transition. Epidemiologic studies and randomized clinical trials show that type 2 diabetes is largely preventable through diet and lifestyle modifications. Translating these findings into practice, however, requires fundamental changes in public policies, the food and built environments, and health systems. To curb the escalating diabetes epidemic, primary prevention through promotion of a healthy diet and lifestyle should be a global public policy priority. THE GLOBAL BURDEN OF TYPE 2 DIABETES
The dynamics of the diabetes epidemic are changing rapidly. Once a disease of the West, type 2 diabetes has now spread to every country in the world. Once “a disease of affluence,” it is now increasingly common among the poor. Once an adult-onset disease almost unheard of in children, rising rates of childhood obesity have rendered it more common in the pediatric population, especially in certain ethnic groups. According to the International Diabetes Federation ( 1 ), diabetes affects at least 285 million people worldwide, and that number is expected to reach 438 million by the year 2030, with two-thirds of all diabetes cases occurring in low- to middle-income countries. The number of adults with impaired glucose tolerance will rise from 344 million in 2010 to an estimated 472 million by 2030.