More than 100 million people have diabetes in China, more than any other country in the world, according to the International Diabetes Federation. (In the U.S., the number is closer to 30 million.)
The number of cases has increased rapidly in recent years and is expected to reach 151 million by 2040.
More than 11% of Chinese adults suffered from the disease in 2013, according to a study by Chinese scientists published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, up from less than 1% in the 1980s and about twice the amount in 2000. By comparison, about 9% of adults in the U.S. are diabetic, up from around 6% in 2000, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.
Almost 500 million more suffer from so-called “prediabetes” — a stage where blood sugar levels are high, but not high enough to trigger a diagnosis — indicating what the IDF calls “the enormity of diabetes as a public health problem in China.”
The rise comes as many Chinese are changing their diet and lifestyle amid improving living standards and a rush to live in cities. This, health experts say, has led to obesity and less physical activity — type II diabetes, the most common form, is commonly considered a lifestyle disease — for many.
High levels of pollution in major cities, which can contribute to diabetes by raising blood pressure and resistance to insulin, is also seen as a culprit, according to health experts.
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