Whether you blame it on sedentary lifestyle or simply plead ignorance, diabetes Type 2 is on the rise.
Diabetes prevalence (both Type 1 and 2) is rife in developing countries. Unless there are serious interventions and awareness campaigns, world prevalence will double by 2030, says the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Though diabetes Type 1 is hereditary, Type 2 (also known as adult-onset) is preventable. Obesity and bad lifestyle are the key drivers of Type 2 diabetes. This, says Dr Seloacoe Thooe, is why this type remains common in urban areas.
WHAT IT MEANS
 56,6% SA women & 29,2% men are obese
Type 2 is preventable; screening is vital
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He bemoans the paucity of awareness campaigns and urges people to watch their lifestyle and that of their children. WHO recommends a body mass index of below 30 (based on height and weight). With the world ready to mark yet another World Diabetes Day on November 14, the government, corporate SA, NGOs and healthcare companies are expected to join hands in raising awareness in a country where estimates are one in 20 people is diabetic (or 2,4m). But, as research suggests, some are as yet undiagnosed.
In his paper entitled Type 2 diabetes: the emerging epidemic, Prof Paul Rheeder notes that the increase in the epidemic is correlated to a rise in global obesity. "It is clear that, in addition to HIV... SA will also be affected by the rise in obesity and subsequent diabetes mellitus. It is critical that a concerted effort involving all parties concerned be made to stem this advancing tide."
On obesity, Rheeder reveals shocking statistics: 29,2% of South African men are overweight or obese, compared with a staggering 56,6% of women. Another time bomb is childhood obesity that is on an upward trajectory.
"As urbanites, we have hectic lifestyles and we're getting lazy. A typical trend is to get up, go to work where you're more likely to use a lift (than stairs), come home, eat (junk food), sleep and the next day it's the same story," says Dr Gladys Koete.
Though experts agree that the key to avoid Type 2 diabetes and other lifestyle diseases is a healthy diet (vegetables and moderate meat), exercising and screening for blood glucose, at least once a year, is vital.
In the same way that HIV and TB are rendering workforces moribund, WHO says diabetes poses significant threats for the economic landscape of countries.
"Undiagnosed and inappropriately treated diabetes leads to considerable ill-health, which not only affects workplace productivity through absenteeism and ill-health retirement, but has a significant effect on corporate healthcare and disability costs," says Medscheme's Dr Derrick Burns.
