One in 10 adults worldwide has diabetes: WHO report
New research released on March 26, 2012, shows that weight-loss surgery might be able to reverse and possibly cure diabetes, working better than diet, exercise and medication.
A new report released by the World Health Organization today shows that diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity aren't just common in wealthy countries where junk food is plentiful. The report provides the "clearest evidence to date" that such chronic diseases are spreading from developed nations to poorer nations, Reuters reported.
"In some African countries, as much as half the adult population has high blood pressure," WHO director general Margaret Chan told the Associated Foreign Press.
In Niger 50.3 percent of men suffer from high blood pressure, the AFP said.
More from GlobalPost: Promises, pitfalls await investors in Burma’s frontier
In total, one in 10 adults worldwide has diabetes, according to the WHO's study.
The report also found that one in three adults worldwide has high blood pressure, according to UN News Centre. The highest obesity levels are still in the Americas, with 26 percent of adults suffering from the condition.
While chronic diseases like diabetes have long been thought of as diseases of developed nations, the WHO says that almost 80 percent of deaths from such diseases now occur in poor and middle-income countries. In Africa, this trend is explained by a rise in smoking rates, a more Western-style, unhealthy diet and less exercise, according to Reuters.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!