In an editorial accompanying the study, Etienne Krug, M.D., M.P.H., from the World Health Organization, writes that the findings “sound the alarm for large-scale, effective action to reduce the health and economic impact of diabetes”.
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The WHO released the special report for diabetes in time for the celebration of World Health Day 2016, where it aims to raise awareness in preventing and providing effective treatment for the disease that affects millions of people worldwide.
“We need to rethink our daily lives: to eat healthily, be physically active and avoid excessive weight gain.” told her on Wednesday.
“There is a critical window for intervention to mitigate the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life”, the report said.
“Initiatives such as the Health Star Rating is a great example of how to educate people to make healthier choices”.
Diabetes UK’s Libby Dowling, said: “It’s crucial we recognise the most important risk factor for Type 2 is being overweight or obese”.
The growing number of people with diabetes is due to an increase in associated risk factors, such as being overweight or obese, according to the WHO.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that diabetes is now a “serious threat to population health” as obesity fuels a rise in the disease.
“But change greatly depends on governments doing more, including by implementing global commitments to address diabetes and other (noncommunicable diseases)”.
UAE health officials will discuss the war on diabetes at a conference marking World Health Day on Thursday, after a report showed the number of diabetics worldwide has quadrupled in less than four decades.
The information came from WHO’s first Global Diabetes Report for this year, adding that in order to handle this issue the world has to take on the disease head on.
Diabetes occurs when the body doesn’t produce or properly use insulin, a hormone in the body responsible for creating glucose. It has been reported that Malta has one of the highest rate of diabetes in the European Union.
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The report clubs both type 1 and type 2 diabetes together, but the surge in cases is predominantly down to type 2 – the form closely linked to poor lifestyle. “Improving access to insulin and NCD medicines in general should be a priority”.
