Report from WSJ. I was wondering how auto consumption has contributed to the increase. This is a sharp reminder that China should put developing better public transportation on the same importance level as developing its auto sector.
One in 10 Chinese adults have diabetes and another 16% are on the verge of developing it, according to a study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The finding nearly equals the U.S. rate of 11%.
With 92 million diabetics, China is now home to the most cases world-wide, overtaking India. The survey found much higher rates than previous studies largely due to more rigorous testing measures. David Whiting, an epidemiologist at the International Diabetes Federation, who wasn’t involved in the study, said, “The rate of increase is much faster than we’ve seen in Europe and in the U.S.”
In China, many people are moving out of farms and into cities, where greater wealth has led to a sedentary lifestyle and sweeping diet changes, including heavily salted foods, fatty meats and sugary snacks. “As people eat more high-calorie and processed foods combined with less exercise, we see an increase of diabetes patients,’’ said Huang Jun, cardiovascular professor at the Jiangsu People’s Hospital in Nanjing who didn’t participate in the study.