A book speculates that diabetes may be linked to cold weather:
"Did you know that more people are diagnosed with diabetes in the colder months of the year? Also, type 1 diabetes is more common in European countries than in African or South American countries. And Finland has the highest rate of type 1 diabetes in the world. What do these things have in common? Yes, it seems there’s a connection between diabetes and cold weather!
Would you believe that in the book Survival of the Sickest, Dr. Sharon Moalem theorizes that type 1 diabetes is actually an evolutionary adaption to the cold?
By way of explanation, here’s a quick history lesson: Way, way back in prehistoric days, there was a severe drop in temperature called the Younger Dryas, in which the temperature dropped violently in a matter of a few years. While many thousands of people likely froze to death, humans clearly survived. Dr. Moalem theorizes that there might be a genetic trait that helped certain humans withstand the cold. “Just because we can’t survive a true deep freeze doesn’t mean our bodies haven’t evolved in many ways to manage the cold,” Dr. Moalem says. “Not only is your body keenly aware of the danger cold poses, it’s got a whole arsenal of natural defense.”"
Read More: http://www.diabetesmine.com/2010/11/diabetes-and-the-ice-age.html
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