How To Control Indian Diabetes Growth

World Diabetes Day, observed on November 14, reminds us of the growing impact of diabetes on global health and the urgent need for collective action to prevent, diagnose, and manage this chronic condition. In 2024, the theme 'Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps' underscores the critical importance of accessible, high-quality diabetes care, especially for underrepresented communities. The Government of India has taken many measures intending to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and alleviate its long-term complications, contributing to a healthier future for all citizens.

- Narayan Kulkarni

An estimated 828 million adults (those aged AR 18 years and older) had diabetes in 2022, an increase of 630 million from 1990. Of these, 420 million were women and 408 million were men. India (212 million) and China (148 million) accounted for the largest proportion of this number, followed by the USA, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Brazil, according to The Lancet report published on November 13, 2024. From 1990 to 2022, the agestandardised prevalence of diabetes increased in 131 countries for women and in 155 countries for men with a posterior probability of more than 0.80.

The report, which used 1108 studies conducted across the world from 1980 to 2022 with 141 million participants aged 18 years or older, noted that a total of 445 million adults aged 30 years or older with diabetes were not treated with oral hypoglycaemic drugs nor insulin, 3-5 times the number in 1990 (129 million). 30 per cent of those with untreated diabetes (133 million) were in India, more than 50 per cent greater than the next largest number of people with untreated diabetes, which was in China (78 million) because treatment coverage was higher in China than in India.

The Lancet reported that an important driver of the rise in diabetes, and its variation across countries, is obesity. In addition to obesity, the consumption of specific foods might influence the risk of diabetes. For example, yoghurt and possibly some other forms of dairy, whole grains, and green leafy vegetables reduce the risk of diabetes, whereas refined carbohydrates, including sugar-sweetened beverages, increase this risk.