Diabesity: An Overview of a Rising Modern Epidemic

Diabesity is the word derived from diabetics and obesity. Diabesity is one of the most serious epidemics in human history globally. There has been a significant rise in the number of patients with Diabetics that requires an urgent approach to prevention and cure.

International Diabetics Federation (IDF) in the year 2000 estimated 151 million people with Diabetics globally and 324 million by the year 2030. Whereas WHO estimated 171 million world Population as Diabetic in 2000 and predicted for 366 million population to be diabetic by 2030. However, the prediction completely failed, and there were415million population globally diabetic by 2015.

Diabetes is a condition in which blood sugar regulation is impaired, due to ineffective utilization of insulin or not enough production of insulin. This can lead to tissue damage and elevated cardiovascular risks. The nutritional transition from the way the food is produced, distributed, and consumed has led to obesity resulting in diabetes. Apart from the unhealthy diet, a sedentary lifestyle disturbed sleep, and stress is contributors to affecting metabolism leading to diabetes. Earlier this only affected the high-income population but now it is affecting the overall population

For many years, traditional risk factors like Genes, Diet, Lifestyle, and Behavioural change have been considered. But what is more concerning in today’s time is maternal obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus. Mother with pre-gestational or gestational diabetes is more likely to have either obese children or children with diabetes. There are many factors involved in pre-gestational diabetes-like developmental plasticity, fetal programming, and intergenerational risks. When pregnant women are either exposed to diabetes, hypertension, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, stress, and undernutrition; the chances of gestational diabetes are high.

Due to undernutrition during pregnancy, the child tries to adapt to scarce resources. And when expectations are that baby will come out of undernutrition but instead baby enters into an ‘obesogenic’ environment. This leads to an adult life of a child with Diabetes, Cardiovascular disease, and Obesity.

Over To You:
Hence, the cure for obesity and diabetes is much concern. Correct lifestyle changes, a healthy diet, sound sleep reduced stress are the factors one should concentrate on to have a healthy and fit body. Improved metabolism is key to improving the diabesity epidemic.