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It is well known that many Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were non-obese and had decreased insulin secretion in past. However, during the past three decades, lifestyles in Korea have been westernized. As a result, the prevalence of obesity, the main cause of diabetes has increased. Thus, there is still a question as to whether the main pathophysiology of current Korean T2DM is insulin resistance or an insulin secretion defect. Because various anti-diabetes medications having different mechanisms of action are currently used as therapeutics, it is important to understand which of these factors is the main physiology in the development of diabetes in Koreans. In this review, we review changes in obesity prevalence, insulin resistance and insulin secretion defects in Korean T2DM during three decades.
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The prevalence of diabetes is increasing globally, particularly in Asia. According to the 2013 Diabetes Atlas, an estimated 366 million people are affected by diabetes worldwide; 36% of those affected live in the Western Pacific region, with a significant proportion in East Asia. The reasons for this marked increase in the prevalence of diabetes can be extrapolated from several distinct features of the Asian region. First, the two most populated countries, China and India, are located in Asia. Second, Asians have experienced extremely rapid economic growth, including rapid changes in dietary patterns, during the past decades. As a result, Asians tend to have more visceral fat within the same body mass index range compared with Westerners. In addition, increased insulin resistance relative to reduced insulin secretory function is another important feature of Asian individuals with diabetes. Young age of disease onset is also a distinctive characteristic of these patients. Moreover, changing dietary patterns, such as increased consumption of white rice and processed red meat, contributes to the deteriorated lifestyle of this region. Recent studies suggest a distinctive responsiveness to novel anti-diabetic agents in Asia; however, further research and efforts to reverse the increasing prevalence of diabetes are needed worldwide.
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SGLT2 Inhibitors as Add-On Therapy to Metformin for People with Type 2 Diabetes: A Review of Placebo-Controlled Trials in Asian versus Non-Asian Patients