Indigenous people threatened by diabetes

Indigenous people throughout the world are facing the burden of diabetes . The pervasive influence of unhealthy western diets and lifestyle are eroding traditional ways of life to an even greater extent than previously thought, according to one expert based in Brussels .
The head of the International Diabetes Foundatio, Martin Silink, highlighted the fact that many indigenous people faced greater genetic predisposition to developing type 2 diabetes.
The findings were shown at a conference in Melbourne, which gathered together diabetes experts from Canada, Australia, America and the Pacific Islands . The host of the conference, Paul Zimmet, pointed to several pertinent examples of type 2 diabetes’ insidious effects on indigenous people. These included aboriginal Australians, Torres Strait Islanders, Canadian and American indigenous people.
Zimmet concluded: “The world needs to act now if we are to deal with this problem, which threatens to consume world economies and bankrupt health systems. It could also mean the end of some of our treasured indigenous groups.”