Why do we need a new journal now?

I am delighted that the Journal of Diabetes Investigation (JDI) is now to be published as an official journal of the Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes (AASD). Many people may wonder why a new journal focused on diabetes is necessary; surely there are already many excellent journals in this field worldwide? However, there are many reasons for establishing a new diabetes journal.

First, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) released the IDF Diabetes Atlas (4th Edition) at the 20th World Diabetes Congress at the Convention Center in Montreal on November 20, 2009. The IDF Diabetes Atlas aims to provide evidence‐based information on the current worldwide diabetes epidemic and projections for the future. In this book, it is estimated that the population with diabetes may reach four hundred million worldwide in 2030. This is about 1.5 times the number in 2010. The current total of 4.72 hundred million people with impaired glucose tolerance may become 9.1 hundred million, accounting for 8.0% of the world population. The number of patients with diabetes in countries affiliated with the Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes is likely to increase by about 60% by 2030 compared to 2010. Moreover, the marked increase in this region is consistent with changes in the world population. This extraordinary increase in diabetes worldwide is a matter of great urgency and calls for a matching increase in publication of methods for prevention and treatment.

Molecular biology and genetic approaches have greatly advanced our understanding of the causes of diabetes and the development of treatment. However, the average age at death of Japanese patients with diabetes is still over 10 years younger than the general population in Japan for the period 1971–2000, although the lifespan of both males and females with diabetes has lengthened with time in parallel with that of the Japanese general population (Figure 1). A number of studies have shown that vascular diseases that occur as complications of diabetes have an important role in the reduced life expectancy. Cardiovascular disease as a cause of death in patients with diabetes is now recognized worldwide.

Figure 1

 Mean ages at death of Japanese diabetics and average lifespan of general population in Japan; comparison of 30 years between 1971–1980, 1981–1990 and 1991–2000.

It is now accepted that the achievement of better outcomes in prevention and treatment of diabetes must be made on the basis of evidence obtained from fundamental and clinical research. The extraordinary worldwide increase in type 2 diabetes predicted to occur from 2010 to 2030 also indicates the importance of paying attention to ethnic differences in the pathophysiology of the disease. An understanding of these differences in diabetes and complicating diseases will improve management of patients. A number of studies suggest that there are significant differences in β‐cell function, insulin resistance, degree of obesity, quantity of thrifty genes, frequency of cardiovascular diseases, and causes of death between Caucasians and Asians.

The current period is unprecedented in terms of the amount of information available on diabetes in the Asian population. As well as genetic factors, it is well known that environmental factors influence the development of diabetes and its complications from studies of Japanese migrants in North America and Brazil. Diabetes is clearly a lifestyle‐related disease.

I hope that readers will understand the need for our new journal, the JDI. We will organize the journal to promote the submission of important and groundbreaking papers, thereby facilitating the exchange of information among researchers and clinicians. Our goal is to contribute to more effective prevention and treatment of diabetes and its complications. We hope that you will consider submission of your key papers for publication in JDI and help to make the journal into an important forum for discussion of diabetes research.