Unskinny genes

摘要

If straining waistlines were still a sign of prosperity, Mexicans would be rich. These days, girth is more likely to signal sickness. Diabetes is a particular scourge. The type-2 (or late-onset) variety, which is linked to obesity, is thought to afflict am Mexicans. It kills 73,000 of them a year, seven times as many as organised crime. Lack of exercise and a penchant for fatty treats and fizzy drinks-of which Mexicans quaff 40% more, on average, than Americans do-are largely to blame. But that does not explain why, despite similar obesity rates, nearly one in six Mexican adults is diabetic but less than 10% of those north of the border are.