Climate Change and Type 2 Diabetes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12970/2310-9971.2013.01.01.5Keywords:
Climate change, global health, type 2 diabetes, thrifty genotype hypothesis, metabolic syndrome, maternal-child health.Abstract
Diabetes is a global epidemic impacting the lives of many people on a daily basis. At present, it is estimated that 366 million people are living with diabetes globally and this number is expected to increase by 50.8 percent to 552 million by the year 2030. Paralleling the epidemic of type 2 diabetes is the phenomena of climate change, which has long been overlooked. However, these environmental changes are no longer scenarios of the future and the effects of climate change are observable today through variable weather patterns and rising sea levels, to name a few. Together, these global issues are impacting the health and well-being of the world’s most vulnerable populations, especially the health of women, children, the elderly, the poor and those in low socio-economic statuses (low SES), and those with underlying health conditions. By observing the global impact of climate change on T2D and the future changes in this metabolic disorder’s prevalence and incidence that may ensue, researchers may be able to curtail the detrimental effects of the associated comorbid conditions associated with diabetes (such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and the Metabolic Syndrome) amongst the world’s most susceptible individuals.References
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