CGTN America
Diabetes is crossing borders and reaching epidemic levels in the world’s largest population.
Of the 1.3 billion people living in China today, 114 million of them – or nearly 12% of the adult population – now have diabetes, according to a new study published by The Journal of American Medical Association. In fact, China is now home to one-third of the world’s diabetes sufferers and has the world’s biggest diabetes epidemic
Medical experts cite the rapid development of China as a modern society as the lead cause of the diabetes epidemic. Popular Western fast food and convenience foods have replaced traditional Chinese cuisine in many households and a more sedentary lifestyle has led to bikes and pedestrians on the streets of Beijing being replaced with cars.
Dr. Ida Chen, the Director of Biochemistry and Molecular Phenotyping at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and Scott Chan, Program Director for the Asian Pacific Islander Obesity Prevention Alliance, joined Full Frame this week to discuss their innovative research and grassroots programs aimed at helping Asian communities worldwide fight the diabetes epidemic. Scott Chan works with Pacific Islander communities fighting obesity in Los Angeles and Dr. Chen specializes in insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes in the Chinese population.
