Fast Food Blamed for Diabetes Spike in Asia

Researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research are blaming the adoption of a Westernized diet and the influx of fast-food restaurants for an increase in type 2 diabetes in Southeast Asia.

The findings, published in the journal Diabetologia, reveal 11 percent of men and 12 percent of women in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. This number is in addition to approximately 4 percent of the population already diagnosed with the disease.

“Dietary patterns have been changing dramatically in Vietnam in recent years, particularly in the cities as they become more Westernized,” said lead author Professor Tuan Nguyen. “There are fast-food outlets everywhere. In Asia, diabetes is commonly found among well-off people, who can afford Western-style fast food, whereas in Australia it’s commonly found in socio-economically disadvantaged groups.”

While not mentioned in the findings, the researchers said similar undiagnosed prevalence of diabetes also was found in Thailand.

“Because of that, we feel very confident that we can extrapolate our findings to other parts of South East Asia including Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Laos. We also believe they are applicable to Southeast Asian communities in Australia and around the world,” they wrote.

Sources:

* Garvan Institute of Medical Research: Simple diagnostic tool predicts Type 2 diabetes in South East Asians