THE G.I. FACTOR: WHY DO PEOPLE GET DIABETES?
The most common type of diabetes (type 2 diabetes) is the result of insulin not working properly and usually affects people over the age of 40. Overeating, being overweight and not exercising enough are important factors (what we call lifestyle factors) which can lead to this type of diabetes, especially when there is someone else in the family with diabetes.
Many people who live in societies which are undergoing rapid westernisation are developing this type of diabetes. Why ?
It takes time for our bodies to adapt to such major changes in diet. Because our European ancestors had thousands of years to adapt to a diet with a lot of carbohydrate, they were in a better position to cope with the changes in the G.I. factor of foods. That is why people of European extraction have a lower prevalence of type 2 diabetes compared with people whose diets have recently changed to include lots of high G.I. foods.
However, there is only so much that our bodies can take. As we continue to consume increasing quantities of foods with a high G.I. factor plus excessive amounts of fatty foods, our bodies are coping less well. The result can be seen as a significant increase in the number of people developing diabetes.
But, the most dramatic increases in diabetes have occurred in populations which have been exposed to these changes over a very much shorter period of time. In some Australian Aboriginal communities up to one person in four now has diabetes. In some groups of native American Indians and in some populations within the Pacific region, up to one adult in two has diabetes because of the rapid dietary and lifestyle changes in the twentieth century.
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