Chennai: There has been a surge in prevalence of diabetic complaints in the city and surrounding areas, finds a survey conducted by India Diabetes Research Foundation.
The survey aimed at evaluating the trends in predominance of diabetes and associated conditions.
While in the first epidemiological study in 2006 the numbers stood at 18.6 per cent, 16.4 per cent and 9.2 per cent in Chennai, Panruti and Kanchipuram, in the second study carried out in 2016, it rose to 21.9 per cent, 20.3 per cent and 13.4 per cent.
The comparative study, titled Secular TRends in DiabEtes in India (STRiDE–I), points out that there has been a shift in the dietary and lifestyle habits that has led to people acquiring pre-diabetes conditions.
Speaking about it to <I>News Today<P>, Dr Nanditha Arun, one of the researchers, said, ‘Diabetes and lifestyle-related conditions are considered to be the disease of the affluent; however, the secular study pointed otherwise.’
‘The pattern observed in 2006 research showed that diabetes was common in higher income group and it has seeped into the lower income group – access to junk food, changes in lifestyle and stress. The weaker sections have easy access to non-nutritious foods like fried crisps, carbonated beverages and the like as they are inexpensive. The availability of television, vehicles and lack of physical exercise has led to changes in habits,’ she said.
The study sheds light on abdominal obesity which is a contributing factor for acquiring diabetes and, in the long run, leads to cardiovascular diseases.
‘In generalised obesity, only the body mass index (BMI) or overall body weight is counted. However, it does not indicate the amount of abdominal obesity that a person has and does not correlate with high incidence or prevalence of diabetes. Higher waist circumference is a high-risk factor for diabetes and increases the insulin resistance capacity,’ she said.
On governmental intervention, it said, ‘More urgent focus on prevention is needed for India and also other developing nations to curb the diabetes epidemic. National policies have to be enforced in all countries.’
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Dr Nanditha Arun states that the diabetes epidemic is likely to rise in the rural areas as urban lifestyle is adopted resulting in health hazards.
‘In the future, the major contribution to population with diabetes is likely to be due to the rising rural prevalence of diabetes. Although we have demonstrated this phenomenon in Tamilnadu, it is possible that a similar phenomenon will be occurring in rest of the country,’ noted the study.