Learning About Health From Other Cultures

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- We are becoming a global medical society.

We can learn about health by watching populations around the world.

There is no doubt that China is a patient population that we can learn from.

The latest information is from the journal of the American Medical Association:

Over 10% of China's population has diabetes, one of the high prevalence rates in the world, and more than a third are likely to be prediabetic.

There is no doubt that the numbers have increased as western influence and diet have played a greater role in the increased numbers of metabolic issues in the population.

One of the lessons to take from this is the understanding that, here in the United States, we need to increase the amount of vegetables and avoid processed and fast foods.