New Zealand is a Hotbed for Diabetes

Fri, 12 Aug 2011
New Zealand has become a hotbed for diabetes. It is even being described as a "health crisis".

This follows a huge cut in funding for healthy eating and obesity prevention programmes.

The warning has come in the form of an open letter to the New Zealand Medical Journal signed by 12 medical experts, health researchers as well as nutritionists .

They assert that the Government is not doing what it ought to to fight increasing diabetes rates. It has axed a Healthy Eating Health Action strategy programme which could cause a health crisis.

The number of diabetics has risen due to growing rates of obesity, the letter says.

Between 1989 and 1997 the average adult weight gain was 3.2kg. 80 per cent of diabetes could be prevented if people were not obese . Healthy eating programmes are essential to educate people as to how their diet and inactivity can lead to them becoming diabetic .

It is alarming that 63 per cent of adults are overweight or obese and between 2 to 7 per cent of the health budget was being spent on weight-related problems, like diabetes and related kidney failure.

The letter urges that immediate actions need to be taken to redress this situation, including "traffic light" nutritional labelling, increased promotion of physical activity and a blanket ban on marketing junk food to children.

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