The 13th World Diabetes Day was marked with the campaign slogan "Fight Obesity, Prevent Diabetes" on Sunday.

Overweight and obesity are the main modifiable risk factors leading to type 2 diabetes, often called adult, non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

Ji Linong, an endocrinologist from the People's Hospital at Peking University, has noticed a clear change in the typical diabetes patient seen there.

"Ten years ago, patients were thin and old. Now, however, they are commonly obese and much younger," said Ji at a recent seminar on the prevention of diabetes, which attracted endocrinologists and cardiologists to Beijing.

In the past few years, the intensity of diabetes awareness education has increased and new drugs and therapies have emerged. However, the incidence of diabetes has not slowed.

Simple lifestyle changes such as a healthy diet and moderate physical activity can delay and, in many cases, prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. For people with diabetes, diet and activity can reduce complications, experts say.

It is estimated that avoiding weight gain could prevent at least half of all cases of type 2 diabetes. However, many people only understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle after their lives have been threatened.

One diabetic man in his late 40s was diagnosed 10 years ago. He was hospitalized at the Anzhen Hospital in Beijing after a heart attack this spring. It wasn't until after the heart attack that he truly understood the potentially devastating effect of diabetes.

In his words, he could not control his "greedy appetite" for high fat foods.

According to a survey conducted by the Magazine of Diabetes Patients' Friends, among the 2,596 respondents, more than half have a college education or higher.

Alarmingly, a lot of them are teachers.

"Teachers generally work under high pressure and lack of physical exercise. Also, they tend to be careless about a healthy lifestyle and their diet," said Dr. Ji. "They are more likely to develop obesity, which can lead to high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and high blood sugar."

(China Daily November 15, 2004)