Is Diabetes Here to Stay?
A study in The Lancet Journal published by a team of researchers working with the World Health Organization (WHO) found that diabetes has either remained unchanged or increased worldwide.
According to the WHO, “80% of people with diabetes live in low and middle income countries...and, are middle-aged (45-64), not elderly (65+).”
The study analyzed health surveys and epidemiological studies since 1980 which covered 2.7 million participants. They found that diabetes more than doubled for the period between 1980 and 2008 to 347 million with slightly more men affected.
According to Reuters.com, “This study found that of the 347 million people with diabetes, 138 million live in China and India and another 36 million in the United States and Russia.”
No surprise, considering the main staple of China is rice: white rice. White rice has a high glycemic index ranging from 72 to 89. The Glycemic Index (GI) ranks foods on a scale of 0 to 100 based on their affect on blood sugar. The closer to 100 a food is, the higher the fluctuations in blood sugar.
Other foods high on the scale include white bread and russet potatoes.
Individuals with diabetes monitor their blood glucose levels closely. “Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body's ability to produce and/or use insulin,” according to The American Diabetes Association.
I am very familiar with this disease as both types run in my family. Type 1 is when the body fails to produce insulin and is usually diagnosed in children or young adults. Type 2, the most common and preventable, is when the body does not produce enough or utilize insulin efficiently.
Insulin is the hormone responsible for taking sugar out of our blood to be used for energy.
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