NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS IN MEXICO

Previous experience throughout the world has suggested that certain po pulations have a genetic predisposition to the development of non-insu lin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in response to a changing envi ronment. In particular, Native American admixture presents a genetic r isk for NIDDM and modernization represents an environmental change whi ch amplifies the risk. This review discusses these factors with respec t to the situation in Mexico, where a significant portion of the popul ation is Native American and industrialization is producing rapid envi ronmental changes. Perhaps, with foresight, the epidemic of NIDDM whic h has struck Native Americans in the United States and indigenous grou ps in the South Pacific may be averted in Mexico. Specific aspects of the traditional Mexican lifestyle which could be retained to protect a gainst NIDDM are presented.