11 per cent urban Indians are diabetic: Study

Hyderabad: Some 11.2 per cent of people in urban India  are diabetic, according to a recent study published in the Lancet. The study was carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The survey covered 55,000 people from 15 states — Tamil Nadu,  Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jhar-khand, Bihar,  Karnataka, Punjab, Assam, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Mani-pur and Meghalaya. Respondents were above 20 years old. 

Diabetes is the inability of the body to produce, or respond to, the hormone insulin. A diabetic person has high glucose or sugar levels in the blood.

The figures point to an alarming rise in prevalance of diabetes in urban India, the study said. Interestingly, higher the state GSDP, higher was the prevalence of diabetes. Chandigarh had the highest rate, at 26.9 per cent, among people of low socio-economic background, compared to 12.9 per cent for people in the  higher socio-economic bracket. It was found that 50 per cent of the participants were not aware of their condition when approached for the study.

A common belief is that people who eat rotis, rather than rice, are less susceptible to diabetes. But a major determinant of diabetes is the amount of food, rather than what one eats. Apart from hereditary susceptibility, larger portions, combined with junk and sugary foods, as well as sedentary lifestyles, are causes for diabetes.