| Japan Hit by Diabetes
From a major Japanese Newspaper, Asahi:
Diabetes cases up by 2.5 million
An estimated 18 percent of the nation's adult population had diabetes or were borderline cases in 2006, according to the health ministry.
It was estimated that 18.7 million people aged 20 or older had or were at risk of coming down with diabetes, the ministry said. The figure was up 2.5 million from 2002.
Lack of exercise and unhealthy eating habits were blamed for the jump, the ministry said.
The estimates were based on hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) which measures average blood glucose levels.
The survey found that an estimated 8.2 million people had levels of at least 6.1 percent, which could indicate diabetes.
Levels of about 10.5 million people stood at 5.6 percent to less than 6.1 percent.(IHT/Asahi: May 2,2008) | 
