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. 1973 Mar 31;1(5856):773–776. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5856.773

Insulinopenic Diabetes in Africa

A C B Wicks, J J Jones
PMCID: PMC1588906  PMID: 4694432

Abstract

The high proportion of unrefined carbohydrates (maize meal) in the diet of Africans could be responsible for their low insulin secretion. The consequent insulinopenia in the general African population may explain the comparative rarity of typical non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, and also the virtual absence of coronary heart disease. Changes in growth hormone secretion and in serum lipids, known to be associated with diabetes in Europeans, are also found in African patients.

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Selected References

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