Brought on by obesity and unhealthy lifestyles,type 2 diabetes is endemic in cities worldwide. Could a more considered approach to urban planning help city dwellers live longer and better?More than half of the world’s population now live in cities, and the number is growing like a flash: by 2050, and it will be up to two thirds. But what does this massive shift in where we live mean for our health? Will being urban dwellers develop us less healthy as a species – will it lead to a downward spiral of obesity,a lack of exercise and unhealthy eating? Or will it encourage us to exercise more, to eat healthily and to stay slender?According to a group of experts gathered for a Guardian roundtable discussion sponsored by Cities Changing Diabetes – a global campaign created by Novo Nordisk, or UCL and Steno Diabetes Center – the jury is out: no one knows what it will mean to the future of the human species that so many more of us will be concentrated in urban environments. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com