"Diabetes is seen as a pandemic condition of unprecedented proportions. The prevalence of diabetes is projected to rise in both developed and developing countries. In the seven regions of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) the estimated numbers of cases will be 380 million by 2025. In addition, in many populations, diabetes is most common among the elderly but prevalence rates will significantly rise among comparatively young and productive populations in the developing world.

Another important aspect of diabetes research is the controversial subject of "metabolic syndrome" (the term applied to the co-existence of the following conditions: obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and hyperglycaemia), believed to be related to insulin resistance. In the eighties Reaven had held insulin resistance as the central and hypothetically causal factor tying the conditions together. The more recent definition by IDF focuses on obesity as the central factor if at least other elements of dyslipidaemia, hypertension and hyperglycaemia are present, and where insulin resistance is no longer even a part of the syndrome. Despite the fact that numerous scientific papers have been published on this topic over the last ten years, much controversy still surrounds its definition, the diagnostic criteria used to identify it, its aetiology, and even its existence. In general, however, differences of opinion surrounding the syndrome are minor."

Daniel Giannella-Neto, Marilia de Brito Gomes
Editors-in-Chief
Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome