Diabetes in Indigenous Peoples
The BBC is today carrying a story BBC NEWS | Health | Diabetes ‘threat’ to indigenous. about a report presented at a diabetes conference in Melbourne, Australia.
Those of us in the metabolic field have been acutely aware of the burgeoning problem of abdominal obesity and Type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes in many of the indigenous peoples of Asia, the Pacific, Australia and the Americas, in part a consequence of Western diets and sedentary lifestyles: Diabetes was unknown in the Pacific before World War II.
The combination of genes for insulin resistance, that were valuable
during evolution, with extraordinary environmental changes is the
culprit.
There are up to eight million new cases of diabetes across the world each year and it is predicted that around 250 million people will be affected by 2050.
The main reason for being so worried about the diabetes is not the disturbance in glucose itself, but the complications of Type 2 diabetes that include an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, eye and kidney disease.
Some experts are predicting that the scourge of diabetes could wipe out some indigenous groups. On the other hand, urgent action now could quickly reverse the trend.
Dr. Richard G. Petty, MD is a world-renowned authority on the brain, and his revolutionary work on human energy systems has been acclaimed around the globe.
He is also an accredited specialist in internal and metabolic medicine, endocrinology, psychiatry, acupuncture and homeopathy. He has been an innovator and leader of the human potential movement for over thirty years and is also an active researcher, teacher, writer, professional speaker and broadcaster. He is the author of five books, including the groundbreaking and best selling CD series Healing, Meaning and Purpose. He has taught in over 45 countries and 48 states in the last ten years, but spends as much time as possible on his horse farm in Georgia.
