The number of people suffering from diabetes worldwide will more than double to 1.3 billion by 2050 driven by structural racism and gaping inequality between countries, new research predicted on Friday.
Every country on the globe will see an increase in the number of patients with chronic disease, according to the most comprehensive analysis of global data projecting out to 2050.
Some 529 million people were estimated to already be living with diabetes, one of the top 10 causes of death and disability.
That number — 95 per cent of which are cases of type 2 diabetes — will top 1.3 billion in less than three decades, according to a study published in the Lancet journal.
High body mass index — an indication that people could be overweight — was linked to more than half of deaths and disability from diabetes.
Other factors included people’s diets, exercise, smoking and alcohol.
Liane Ong, lead research scientist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and first author of one of the studies, said one factor was how diets had changed.
Punch
