SURREY, Canada — Unhealthy diets and less physical activity contribute to an increased prevalence of diabetes around the world. Despite advancements in modern medicine, many people in low-income countries lack access to life-saving medical interventions such as glucose monitoring and insulin injections. The Philippines in particular is seeing an increasing number of diabetes diagnoses, with almost 5 million Filipinos currently living with diabetes. For organizations such as the Philippine College of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, addressing the rising prevalence of diabetes in the Philippines is a top priority.
Understanding Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus, often referred to as diabetes, is a chronic illness impacting the body’s ability to produce or effectively use insulin, a hormone that metabolizes sugar in the blood to produce energy. Without insulin, the body cannot break down sugar, leading it to build up in the blood. Long-term elevated blood sugar levels can lead to serious, potentially fatal complications including kidney failure, cardiac arrest or stroke, blindness and limb amputation. Risk factors, treatment, and how insulin is impacted depend on the type of diabetes. The most common type is Type 2 diabetes, which affects 90 to 95% of individuals with diabetes. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not make enough insulin or becomes resistant to it.
Risk factors are typically related to one’s lifestyle, such as a lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet, obesity, frequent smoking and alcohol use. Other risk factors include being over the age of 40, race or ethnicity and having a family history of Type 2 diabetes. Treatment often involves making lifestyle changes such as eating healthier and losing weight as well as medication.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that affects 5 to 10% of people with diabetes and occurs when the immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This type is typically diagnosed between childhood and early adulthood. Since the body cannot produce insulin on its own, many people with Type 1 diabetes must take insulin injections to manage the disease.
The Rising Prevalence of Diabetes in the Philippines
The last decade has seen a steady increase in the number of Filipinos being diagnosed with diabetes. In 2024, approximately 4.7 million adults in the Philippines were reported to have diabetes, almost 500,000 more than in 2011. In an interview with The Borgen Project, President of the Philippine College of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Elaine Cunanan stated that about 20% of Filipino adults are prediabetic, meaning they have “elevated blood sugar levels that put them at imminent risk of developing full Type 2 diabetes.”
Cunanan also noted that unhealthy diets and increased obesity rates among young adults aged 18 to 44 contribute to more diagnoses of diabetes within that demographic. Even more concerning, the number of diabetes cases is expected to nearly double by 2050. The increasing prevalence of diabetes raises concerns over the risk of diabetes-related health complications, which rank among the top five causes of death in the Philippines.
Contributing Factors in the Philippines
There are several factors that contribute to the high rates of diabetes in the Philippines:
- Cultural diet – the average Filipino diet tends to be high in refined carbohydrates, sodium, saturated fats, cholesterol and added sugar. This type of diet contributes to insulin resistance and other issues such as obesity and hypertension, which are also risk factors for diabetes.
- Less physical activity – urbanization has increased reliance on motorized transportation and has led more people to work desk jobs and live sedentary lifestyles. Physical inactivity contributes to diabetes risk by reducing the body’s sensitivity to insulin.
- Higher abdominal fat – Cunanan stated that people of South and Southeast Asian heritage tend to develop more abdominal fat even if their overall weight is average, contributing to insulin resistance.
- Issues accessing health care – It is believed that more than half of Filipinos living with diabetes are undiagnosed. Multiple barriers make it more difficult for Filipinos living with diabetes to get the help they need. With about 17.5 million people living in poverty, those living with diabetes often struggle to afford treatment. The archipelagic geography also makes regular screenings more difficult which Cunanan suggests can lead many cases to go undiagnosed until more severe complications arise.
3 Organizations Helping Filipinos with Diabetes
As the prevalence of diabetes in the Philippines continues to rise, many nonprofit organizations are taking steps to reduce cases of diabetes and to provide treatment to those who need it. Here are just a few organizations addressing diabetes in the Philippines:
- Diabetes Philippines – formally known as the Philippines Diabetes Association, Diabetes Philippines was founded in 1962 and is a member of the International Diabetes Federation. Through advocacy efforts such as World Diabetes Day and several workshops and courses, Diabetes Philippines promotes diabetes research and educates the public on how to reduce the risk of developing diabetes. They also run various screening programs around the Philippines to increase early detection. The outreach program provides Filipinos with Type 1 diabetes with insulin and glucose monitors.
- Unbound/Chronic Care International (CCI) – In 2023, United States-based international organizations Unbound and Chronic Care International (CCI) partnered to launch a two-phase pilot program focused on treating older adults with diabetes in Quezon. Starting with 158 elders sponsored by Unbound’s monthly donors, the program provides participants with affordable treatment including medication and blood pressure monitoring and teaches them how to effectively manage their disease. In the first year of the pilot program, 100% of patients have received regular lab tests, glucose tests and checkups. While 90% of patients have effectively managed their blood sugar levels. Phase 2 seeks to find Americans living with diabetes to sponsor an elder in the Philippines who also has diabetes, creating an international peer support system.
- Philippine College of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (PCEDM) – this sub-specialty of the Philippine College of Physicians addresses the lack of specialized care for hormonal and metabolic disorders in the Philippines. As PCEDM President Elaine Cunanan explained to The Borgen Project, the PCEDM is the “sole body recognized by the Philippine Medical Association and the Philippine College of Physicians” to offer training and accreditation in endocrinology. Since its inception, the PCEDM has grown to 472 board-certified physicians specialized in treating diabetes and other metabolic disorders in the Philippines. Some of PCEDM’s greatest achievements include collaborating with the Department of Health to standardize diabetes screening and treatment across the nation, establishing a recycling program for empty insulin pens, and expanding a network of endocrinologists to various rural regions in the Philippines.
The Importance of Diabetes Awareness
As diabetes “often develops silently,” Cunanan emphasizes that “public education and accessible health care resources are essential” in treating and preventing diabetes. Low-income nations such as the Philippines lack the resources needed to give people with diabetes life-saving care. It is organizations such as PCEDM that provide the knowledge and support to spread awareness, prevent new cases, and help people living with diabetes manage the disease.
– Lily Alexander
Lily is based in Surrey, Canada and focuses on Global Health and World News for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Flickr