Prevention of Non-insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus – an Emerging Challenge for India

For a long time, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) has been regarded largely a problem of the affluent countries [1]. However, there is now increasing realization that NIDDM is becoming a major problem in developing countries as well [2, 4]. There is reason to believe that urbanization and accompanying change from a traditional life style to a more ‘westernized’ one may increase the risk of NIDDM [5, 6 ]. Migrant Indians in different parts of the world have a high risk of NIDDM [2, 7, 8] and within India people living in urban areas may have a higher risk than those living in rural areas [6,9].