The global burden of obesity and diabetes

Abstract

The global pandemic of obesity and diabetes continues relentlessly in developed and developing nations. On a population basis, current preventative strategies for obesity and diabetes appear ineffective. The increase in obesity prevalence only partly explains the increase in diabetes prevalence. The increased prevalence and burden of diabetes in developed nations is generally occurring in an older population and is related to aging, reduced mortality associated with diabetes, an increase in the proportion in the population with high-diabetes-risk ethnicities, and increasing levels of obesity. In contrast in developing countries, the increased in diabetes prevalence and burden is in a younger working demographic and related to aging and rapid increase in those at risk related to obesity. Effective strategies for obesity-diabetes prevention and management at a population level are desperately needed globally.