Governments Must Act on Biggest Epidemic in Human History

Governments Must Act on Biggest Epidemic in Human History

April 26, 2007

-- New IDF Consensus on Prevention of Diabetes is Launched


    BARCELONA, Spain, April 26 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The
diabetes pandemic is threatening to overwhelm global
healthcare services. Today, the International Diabetes
Federation (IDF) launched a new consensus statement on
diabetes prevention, to be published in the May issue of
Diabetic Medicine, hot on the heels of a December 2006
United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for
concerted international action.

    "The UN resolution is a huge win in the fight
against the biggest disease epidemic in human history.
Diabetes is responsible for close to 4 million deaths every
year. With 246 million people with diabetes now and 380
million people with diabetes by 2025, diabetes is set to
bankrupt national economies(1)," said Professor Paul
Zimmet, Director, International Diabetes Institute and
co-author of the consensus. "Type 2 diabetes can be
prevented, but it will take enormous political will on the
part of governments to make this a reality. They can
achieve this by creating the environment that allows
individuals to make lifestyle changes. That is why we are
calling on all countries to endorse the UN resolution and
to target entire populations through the development and
implementation of National Diabetes Prevention
Plans."

    The new IDF consensus recommends that all individuals
at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes be identified
through opportunistic screening by doctors, nurses,
pharmacists and through self-screening.

    Professor Sir George Alberti, Past President of IDF and
co-author of the new IDF consensus said: "There is
overwhelming evidence from studies in the USA, Finland,
China, India and Japan that lifestyle changes (achieving a
healthy body weight and moderate physical activity) can
help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes in those at
high risk(2-6). The new IDF consensus advocates that this
should be the initial intervention for all people at risk
of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as the focus of
population health approaches."

    In addition to the need for individual lifestyle
change, IDF recognizes that there are powerful
environmental forces that influence the behavioural, eating
and exercise patterns of the community.

    "Inadvertently, our own government authorities may
have contributed to this epidemic by allowing developers to
create urban social problems," said Professor Avi
Friedman, Professor of Architecture at McGill University,
Montreal. "Urban sprawls are part and parcel of new
developments without proper attention to building design,
sidewalks, bike paths, public transport corridors, playing
fields and friendly exercise areas that are essential and
need to be accessible to people who want to maintain a
healthy lifestyle."

    National Diabetes Prevention Plans will therefore
require coordinated policy and legislative changes across
all sectors including health, education, sports and
agriculture, as well as the formation of strategic
relationships. They must be culturally sensitive and
targeted to mobilize all sectors of the community.

    "Diabetes is already a massive social cost, and it
is up to politicians to decide whether they will spend more
and more money on acute care and drugs, or invest in
prevention by supporting lifestyle change among the entire
population," said Professor Alberti.

    "A Kyoto-like agreement on diabetes prevention and
management is needed among governments worldwide if we are
to prevent this problem from becoming catastrophic,"
concluded Professor Zimmet.

    For further information, please access the webcast of
the press conference via
http://www.idf.org/webcast/barcelona 

    Notes to Editors

    The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is the
global advocate for more than 240 million people with
diabetes worldwide. It represents 200 diabetes associations
in more than 150 countries. The mission of IDF is to promote
diabetes care, prevention and a cure worldwide. IDF is a
non-governmental organisation in official relations with
the World Health Organisation.

    About Diabetes

    Each year 7 million people develop diabetes and the
most dramatic increases in type 2 diabetes have occurred in
populations where there have been rapid and major changes in
lifestyle, demonstrating the important role played by
lifestyle factors and the potential for reversing the
global epidemic. A person with type 2 diabetes is 2 - 4
times more likely to get cardiovascular disease (CVD), and
80% of people with diabetes will die from it. Premature
mortality caused by diabetes results in an estimated 12 to
14 years of life lost. A person with diabetes incurs
medical costs that are two to five times higher than those
of a person without diabetes, and the World Health
Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 15% of annual
health budgets are spent on diabetes-related illnesses (
http://www.idf.org ).

    There is conclusive evidence that good control of blood
glucose levels and management of high blood pressure and
aspects of the lipid profile (blood fats) can slow the
progression to or of type 2 diabetes, and substantially
reduce the risk of developing complications (such as
cardiovascular, eye and kidney disease) in people with
diabetes.

    Acknowledgment

    The IDF consensus on diabetes prevention was supported
by an educational grant from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.

    References

    (1) Diabetes Atlas, third edition, International
Diabetes
        Federation, 2006

    (2) Pan X, Li g, Hu Y, Wang J, Yang W, An Z. Effects
of
        diet and exercise in preventing NIDDM in people
with
        impaired glucose tolerance. The Da Qing IGT and
        Diabetes Study. Diabetes Care 1997; 20: 537-544

    (3) Tuomilehto J. Lindstrom J, Eriksson J, Valle T,
        Hamalainen H. Prevention of type 2 diabetes
mellitus
        by changes in lifestyle among subjects with
impaired
        glucose tolerance. N Engl J Med 2001; 344:
1343-1350

    (4) Ramachandran A, Snehalatha C, Mary S, Mukesh B,
Bhaskar
        A, Vijay V. The Indian Diabetes Prevention
Programme
        shows that lifestyle modification and metformin
prevent
        type 2 diabetes in Asian Indian subjects with
impaired
        glucose tolerance (IDPP-1). Diabetologia 2006; 49
(2):
        289-297

    (5) Knowler W, Barrett-Connor E, Fowler SE, Hamman RF,
        Lachin JM. Reduction in the incidence of type 2
        diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin.
N
        Engl J Med 2002; 346: 393-403

    (6) Kosaka K, Noda M, Kuzuya T. Diab Res Clin Pract
2005;
        67: 152-162


    For more information, please contact:

     Anne Pierson
     Press Events Manager, IDF
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     Kait Ayres
     Mandarin Healthcare Communications
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