The focus of World Health Day on April 7 is diabetes, a disease which affects about 32 million people in the EU. The JRC supports the efforts to combat diabetes through its nutrition and health related activities, with special focus on children and adolescents. JRC scientists have recently developed a new reference material for the monitoring of diabetes markers in blood.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), diabetes is increasing among all age groups in Europe, mostly due to increases in overweight and obesity, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. Globally, the number of adults living with diabetes rose from 153 million to 415 million from 1980 to 2015. By 2030, diabetes is expected to be the 7th cause of death worldwide.
See more: ec.europa.eu/jrc