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Areas With Higher Prevalence Of Diabetes Have Fewer Healthy Food Options

by Lakshmi Darshini on Sep 14 2015 7:07 PM

Areas With Higher Prevalence Of Diabetes Have Fewer Healthy Food Options
In areas where there were many Type-2 Diabetic individuals it was found that there were lesser and fewer healthy food options, a new study found.
The study examined the causes of Type-2 Diabetes and the reason for it being worse in certain parts of Australia. The study is published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

The number of greengrocers, supermarkets, takeaway shops and alcohol outlets that were present within 20 minutes’ walk from a person’s home were calculated and compared in selected areas of Sydney's west and the north shore by the Director of Public Health Sciences at Western Sydney University Dr Thomas Astell-Burt and Dr Xiaoqi Feng from the University of Wollongong.

About 28 percent of neighborhoods in the west, had at least a three to one ratio of takeaway shops to greengrocers and super markets as well as a much higher rate of Type-2 Diabetes.

"Our previous research and others have already shown that prevalence of Type-2 Diabetes is higher in many suburbs in western Sydney," Dr Astell-Burt said. If you're living in some areas of Western Sydney you're more likely to be surrounded by takeaway shops rather than places where you can buy healthier foods.

“For instance, take the suburbs of Blacktown and Mount Druitt the prevalence is above 5 percent, getting on to 6 to 7 percent. If you compare those suburbs with places such as Mosman or areas in around north Sydney prevalence of Type-2 Diabetes is more like 2 or 2.5 percent."

The body becomes resistant to the normal effects of insulin in Type-2 Diabetes condition and loses the capacity to produce enough insulin in the pancreas. Dr Astell-Burt said it was a serious problem for society.

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"Our lifestyle choices are not made in vacuums, and simply telling people to eat healthily is going to be okay for some who have the means to do that," he said.

"But for others who live in areas where it is quite difficult to come back from a hard day's work ... to get in the car and go and seek out some healthy food when there's something more convenient around the corner which is cheaper, albeit less healthy... that's an issue which we need to address."

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Source-Medindia


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