By Jasminee Sahoye

A study by Statistics Canada has found that the development of type 2 diabetes among Canadian men and women is different.

In the case of women, it was found that low income and education levels are tied to the onset of type 2 diabetes. These factors are independent of other well-established diabetes indicators including excess weight, the agency said. On the other hand, the study found that for men, being overweight or obese contributed to the disease as well as other behaviours, such as heavy drinking, smoking and physical inactivity. A relationship between household income and the onset of diabetes disappeared when other factors were taken into account, the data revealed.

The data is drawn from the National Population Survey, one that tracked the health status of more than 17,000 Canadians since 1994/1995.The study of diabetes is based on 12,333 of those Canadians who were 18 years of age or older in 1994/1995. And a study conducted by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences has found that nearly two million Canadians will be diagnosed with diabetes over the next decade as the number of people considered overweight increases. The study examined Canadian population trends to determine how to best prepare for a surge in diabetes cases. It concluded that about one out of every 10 adult Canadians — about 1.9 million people — will develop the disease within the next 10 years, and that public health authorities should start preparing for the glut now.

Meanwhile, a US study found that people who eat brown rice or other whole grains seem to have a lower risk of developing diabetes than those who eat white rice.

A team of researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital analyzed about 200,000 adults followed for up to 22 years and found eating more refined white rice was associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

The researchers assessed rice intake and diabetes risk among nearly 40,000 men and more than 157,000 women in three long-running studies. Altogether, 10,507 of them developed type 2 diabetes.