Is the increase of diabetes due to obesity epidemic?

The rise in diabetes and the obesity epidemic are believed to be connected, but researchers are looking at other possible causes. In this video, John Merendino, MD, an endocrinologist, talks about how cost and consumption affects diagnosis.

Transcript

00:00

If you look at the question of high-fructose corn syrup, in particular, I would say, probably the biggest issue there is that sweetening things has become much cheaper than it

00:08

was. And therefore, consumption of sweetened beverages and so forth is much, much greater.

00:14

[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:26

Mainly due to obesity, there's been a lot of interest over the past couple of decades about whether there may be other environmental factors that

00:34

are triggers for diabetes. Various researchers have focused on certain food additives

00:41

or certain particular food items, whether high-fructose corn syrup is particularly problematic, et cetera.

00:47

It's really been-- there's been no clear determination of anything other than obesity.

00:55

If you look at the question of high-fructose corn syrup, in particular, I would say, probably the biggest issue there is that sweetening things has become

01:02

much cheaper than it was. And therefore, consumption of sweetened beverages and so forth is much, much greater.

01:11

The cost of soda in inflation-adjusted terms is probably a third now of what it was in the 1960s.

01:18

So it's easy for people to buy soda and consume it in large amounts. [MUSIC PLAYING]