New Delhi, Oct 29 (IANS): Chronic psychological stress is a significant factor in the development of diabetes in Indians, a study has found.

The results of the present study indicate that newly-detected diabetics display higher chronic environmental stress levels and poor stress coping capacity that could lead to insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, study author S. V. Madhu of the University College of Medical Sciences said at a press conference here Tuesday.

Noting diabetes constitutes a major health and economic burden in the country, he said studies in several populations show that type 2 diabetes can be best prevented by lifestyle interventions rather than drugs.

Almost 85 percent of patients with type 2 diabetes are overweight, he said, adding that despite obesity being a major driver for diabetes, 90 percent of the overweight people are not aware they are overweight.

"We all know that we are sitting on a diabetes time bomb. But within this there are several issues that are not much talked about, for example, the fact that lakhs of women acquire diabetes during pregnancy, that urbanization is a factor in the growing incidence of diabetes and that there are a series of myths still associated with diabetes in India," said Madhu, organising chairman of Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI).

RSSDI announced their national annual conference for 2013, scheduled to be held from Nov 10. The conference will see a gathering of top experts from across the country and will unfold new findings and studies in the field of diabetes based on research.

With more than 63 million diabetes patients, India is second only to China in the number of people living with the ailment. With a racial predisposition to diabetes and rapidly changing lifestyles, India is certainly on course to become the diabetes capital of the world.