Diabetes kills 1 in 10 in MENA

As well as negatively affecting quality of life, obesity is a major risk factor for a number of diseases, including diabetes, which is a huge and growing problem in the region. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) says that 34.6m people, or nearly 1 in 10 adults, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have diabetes – a number which is set to almost double to 67.9m by 2035. The comparative prevalence of diabetes in the region (which is calculated on the assumption that every country and region has the same age profile) is 10.9%, compared to 9.6% in North America and the Caribbean, 6.8% in Europe and 8.3% worldwide.