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 Ahead of a meeting of G20 leaders this weekend, the International
Diabetes Federation (IDF) wants the dual epidemics of obesity and
diabetes to be placed on the global agenda alongside major
geopolitical and financial issues.
With one death every six seconds, diabetes is now a bigger killer
than HIV, tuberculosis and malaria combined. The IDF estimates that
most countries spend between five and 20 percent of their healthcare
budget on the disease.
Type 2 diabetes, which is closely linked to obesity and sedentary
lifestyles, accounts for approximately 90 percent of cases and is
rising fast, particularly in developing economies where people are
shifting to Western diets.
The largest number of diabetics in the world now live in China.
Diabetes puts not only patients but whole economies at risk,
according to Petra Wilson, chief executive of the IDF, an umbrella
organization of more than 230 national associations.
She urged leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) of the world’s major
advanced and emerging economies, who are meeting in Turkey on Nov.
15-16, to cooperate in fighting obesity in the same way as they
acted together in the 2008 financial crisis.
Wilson said the call was part of an ongoing IDF campaign and there
was no sign as yet if the G20 would address the topic.
By 2040, one in every 10 adults on the planet are expected to be
diabetic, with cases projected to reach 642 million against 415
million in 2015 and healthcare spending on diabetes rising to $802
billion from $673 billion.
Some countries, including Mexico, Chile and France, have already
experimented with different variations of sugar taxation but there
are considerable political obstacles, as well as resistance from the
food industry.
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Mexico, for example, has seen calls by some lawmakers for a halving
in the country's sugar tax. British Prime Minister David Cameron
came out a against such a tax last month, despite a high-profile
campaign for a levy on sugary drinks and food.
Wilson, whose immediate focus is on getting governments to back a
tax on sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages, admits there are
hurdles but argues politicians need to protect public health by
learning the lessons from tobacco.
"It is very well established that heavy taxation on tobacco and
relentless reinforcement of the message that tobacco is unhealthy
has had a very good effect. It is time now we adopted a similar
approach with sugar," she told Reuters.
"It is, of course, more difficult with sugar because whilst people
can live entirely without tobacco, they can't live entirely without
sugar - but humans can live without added sugars."
(Editing by Tom Heneghan)
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