by POPSUGAR Fitness 3

Diabetes doesn't recognize international boarders, it just plows on through. Although much has been made of the rampant rise of type 2 diabetes here in the US, it is a growing problem in Asia as well. A study in the Journal of American Medicine Association highlights how in Asia the age range of people affected by diabetes is significantly younger than the West.

In western countries the disease affects people between the ages of 60 to 79 years, but in Asia the age range is 20 to 59 years. Another striking contrast is that in Asia the population affected by the disease is less likely to be overweight than those in the West. Sedentary life seems to be the culprit on both sides of the globe. Also of note, Asian women are two- to three-times more likely to develop gestational diabetes as white women, which is significant since women who experienced gestational diabetes have a 60 percent increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes during their lifetime.

Based on analyzing hundreds of articles, data, and studies researchers concluded that the worldwide population living with diabetes could grow by a third by 2025. Unfortunately, low and middle income countries are worst hit and diabetes is an expensive disease to treat.

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