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Friday, March 26, 2010

CHINA faces diabetes epidemic

The study published in The New England Journal of Medicine estimates that more than 92 million men and women are living with diabetes in China, or almost 1 in 10 adults in the world's largest population. Given it's large population, China bear a higher diabetes-related burden than any other country.

The report said another 148.2 million were considered to be pre-diabetic, or showing early symptoms of developing diabetes, a condition that could lead to cardiovascular disease, China's leading cause of death. It said that effects associated with rapid pace of growth and change in the world's third largest economy were a factor.

The ageing of the population, urbanization, nutritional changes, and decreasing levels of physical activity, with a consequent epidemic of obesity, have probably contributed to the rapid increase in levels of diabetes in China, the report said. The study was based on a sample of more than 46.000 adults aged 20 years or older from 14 provinces and municipalities which the authors said was representative of the entire population.

The report said 9.7% of the adult population, accounting for more than 50 million men and 42 million women, lived with diabetes while pre-diabetes affected 15.5% or 76 million men and 72 million women.

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