Populations in rural India may be set for an epidemic of diabetes according to new research conducted by The George Institute for International Health published in Diabetes care. In a large-scale survey of rural India, 13% of adults aged 30 or more were found to have diabetes in a developing area of Andhra Pradesh with a further 16% exhibiting features of pre-diabetes. The George Institute study conducted in 20 villages from the Godavari region of Andhra Pradesh, sampled over 4000 individuals. Of those with known diabetes, 67% were taking sugar lowering tablets, 3% were using insulin and 46% were taking blood pressure lowering agents. "These relatively high levels of treatment suggest that, even in poor rural settings, proven effective treatment is highly accessible. Low cost strategies to improve detection and treatment rates could therefore produce substantial health benefits" according to Professor Bruce Neil, Senior Director of George Institute.