While I was feeding the inflammafish, I was thinking about our
discussion last week pertaining to the effects of Curcumin on obesity and
diabetes. Curcumin is a dietary spice prevalent in Asian cuisine and our
discussion of its role made me curious about the prevalence of Type II diabetes
and obesity in different countries around the world. I found that the rates of Type II diabetes in other countries are
indeed high, with “35 out of 219 countries (16% of the total) has very high prevalence of diabetes, over 12%”. The reason for this high prevalence in developing countries is due
to the recent urbanization of communities and an increasing economy, which has
resulted in a transition in nutrition and diet. This has caused a
dramatic shift in traditional diet to one more focused on western influence,
causing the rapid rise in Type II diabetes. This “nutritional shift typically involves increased consumption of animal fat and energy-dense foods, decreased fiber, and more frequent intake of fast foods”. The shift in diet has also
brought an increase in food portions amongst cultures. The traditional diet in
Asian countries is high in refined carbohydrates, such as white rice, and
increasing portions of these foods along with the shift from a traditional diet
lead to an increased risk for developing diabetes. Along with the shift in
diet, the modernization of communities has also increased the number of people
who live an inactive lifestyle.
What I found interesting is that the prevalence of obesity
is low in Asian countries compared to Western countries such as the United
States, despite the high numbers of Type II diabetes. However an increased risk
of developing diabetes is still an issue for Asian cultures, it just affects
patients at a lower average BMI than in Western cultures. Type II diabetes is
not just a rising issue in the United States but it is a global public health
issue due to changes in economic development and recent urbanization of
developing countries.
Sources-
That is definitely concerning, considering much of the public only associates Type II diabetes with obesity. Many probably won't know about it until there is chronic problems or permanent damage.
ReplyDeleteThis really is a huge problem, and from other research I have done, I know that a lot of these Type II diabetes account from obesity. Even to put it into more of a perspective, if you take into account Native Americans that live in the US, their numbers for heart disease, obesity, and Type II diabetes have skyrocketed in the last decade. This is due to the new type of diet they are being subject to, so I think it would be interesting to see how the Curcumin would affect native diets.
ReplyDeleteI was also curious with the article that discussed how diabetic women had a larger risk for CVD, so I did a little digging and it seems as though the CVD somehow "cancels" the protective effects that estrogen provides them (http://www.world-heart-federation.org/cardiovascular-health/cardiovascular-disease-risk-factors/diabetes/). However, I am think I can only take this at face value because 1) there are no authors or citations and 2) they did not go into further depth about this, it was only one sentence, but at least this gives me a an indication as to why women would be more prone to CVD then men.
Do you think that diabetes II could also be caused by other factors aside from the obvious (obesity, nutrition, and inactive lifestyles)? Cause I mean.. All four of my grandparents have been diagnosed with it even though they are all very active and their diet is pretty healthy; they grow their own produce and consume low amounts of sodium, fats, and sugars.
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