New research from Nagoya University in Japan says that despite being in a healthy weight range , 9.14 m people in Japan have " hidden " metabolic syndrome , a group of problems such as high blood pressure and blood sugar that increase the risk of heart disease , strokes and diabetes . The report suggests that if no preventative measures are taken , in ten years the number of sufferers could increase to 10.14 m and in five years , 10.42 m . It also estimated that 9.71 million are suffering from metabolic syndrome. This is because many Japanese people do not produce enough blood sugar - reducing insulin , which puts them at a higher risk of diabetes , even if they are slim .
New research from Nagoya University in Japan says that despite being in a healthy weight range , 9.14 m people in Japan have " hidden " metabolic syndrome , a group of problems such as high blood pressure and blood sugar that increase the risk of heart disease , strokes and diabetes . The report suggests that if no preventative measures are taken , in ten years the number of sufferers could increase to 10.14 m and in five years , 10.42 m . This is because many Japanese people do not produce enough blood sugar - reducing insulin , which puts them at a higher risk of diabetes , even if they are slim .