Rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney diseases, along with obesity, are rising at an alarming rate in Australia, a study shows.
The number of people developing diabetes is equivalent to 275 per day, while the number becoming obese equates to 600 per day, The Australian reported Monday, citing a study by the Melbourne-based International Diabetes Institute found.
The study showed 200,000 Australians per year becoming obese, 400,000 developing high blood pressure and 270,000 developing kidney diseases.
The diabetes epidemic is being driven by lifestyle factors, particularly the dramatic increase in obesity, poor diet and physical inactivity — and is already costing taxpayers over $2.3 billion annually. That figure will increase exponentially over time, Paul Zimmet, director of the institute, said.
The findings were a follow-up to a study conducted in 1999-2000 involving 11,247 people nationwide, which found that about one million Australians had diabetes.
The follow-up, done in 2004-05, involved about 6,000 of the original participants, with each giving blood samples and body measurements.
The study showed that Australian waistlines grew by an average of 0.83 inches and their weight by 3.08 pounds in the five years.
Obesity is a timebomb waiting to happen in Australia.