Vietnam faces diabetes explosion

Changing lifestyle habits from traditional to western and a general lack of awareness have contributed to a ten-fold increase in diabetes amongst the urban population of Vietnam . The director of the Hanoi Hospital of Endocrinology made the claims, also highlighting the fact that most people faced diabetes for a five year period before diagnosis.
Binh, speaking from Hanoi, urged people to live a healthy lifestyle as far as possible, avoiding obvious health hazards such as fast food and fizzy drinks . Exercise, Binh urged, was essential.
It is thought that diabetes increases in Vietnam may be attributed to the erosion of traditional values, and other cultural beliefs. Globalisation also means that processed, refined foods have flooded the country. Fast food restaurants, a harbinger of diabetes, have opened throughout Vietnamese urban areas.
Furthermore, urban lifestyles as lived by many Vietnamese are more stressful and less conducive to regular exercise. The number of diabetes cases in developing countries is expected to double in the nest 25 years.