New World Syndrome in Western Australian Aborigines

Abstract

1. It has become clear over the past 25 years that Aborigines in Western Australia (WA) now experience very high rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus and its complications as well as hypertension and cardiovascular disease; these disorders are often associated with obesity and abnormalities of plasma lipids. 2. This experience is similar to that of Aboriginal people in other parts of Australia and to other previously traditional societies now in transition to an urbanized, Westernized existence; this is widely attributed to lifestyle factors and genetic susceptibility. 3. This so-called 'New World Syndrome' is responsible for disproportionately high levels of morbidity and mortality in the Aboriginal population of WA; prevention and improved methods of screening, detection and management are needed to reduce this problem.

Global burden of obesity in 2005 and projections to 2030

“…A corollary, suggested by data from prospective studies (74), is that the more insulin resistant among a group of individuals of normal body weight will be protected from future weight gain. However, this is only a theory and is by no means universally accepted (75).…”

“…High rates of obesity, NIDDM, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and CVD, coupled with cigarette smoking and alcohol abuse, are closely associated with the modernization/acculturation process and increasing affluence. The New World syndrome is responsible for disproportionately high levels of morbidity and mortality in newly industrialized countries, including eastern Europe, as well as among the ethnic minorities and the disadvantaged in developed countries (74). Thus, while obesity is viewed by health professionals from a medical perspective, it also needs to be recognized as a symptom of a much larger global social problem.…”

“…Obesity can be seen as the first wave of a defined cluster of NCDs now observed in both developed and developing countries. This has been called the "New World syndrome" (74) and is already creating an enormous socioeconomic and public health burden in poorer countries. High rates of obesity, NIDDM, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and CVD, coupled with cigarette smoking and alcohol abuse, are closely associated with the modernization/acculturation process and increasing affluence.…”

“…These changes remained stable in the second year of the study; after 5 years, body weight was still 13% below the initial value, peripheral hyperinsulinaemia was reduced and HDL cholesterol remained higher ( 41). 74 The symptoms of hepatic steatosis in obese children eventually disappear when excess weight is lost ( 42). 6.…”

The Metabolic Plant Feedback Hypothesis: How Plant Secondary Metabolites Nonspecifically Impact Human Health

“…Often, acculturation also leads to psychiatric disorders, including lack of motivation and depression, potentially linking the role of sugar intake in the reward deficiency syndrome. It has been argued that traditional societies lack lifestyle diseases and upon acculturation suffer from a "New World Syndrome" [20] as, e.g., pointed out with the Australian aborigines [21]. A recent study suggests that the intake of phytochemicals from a hunter-gatherer diet may help maintain visual acuity and prevent degenerative eye conditions [22].…”