Which U.S. population group has the highest prevalence of diabetes, and what country in the world has the most people living with the disease? The answers were among some interesting tidbits of info that shocked attendants at a recent diabetes summit held at the offices of Communications Media Inc. (CMI) in Philadelphia.

Attendants at the daylong summit learned that although African Americans are often perceived as the population group with the most people suffering from diabetes, Native Americans surpass them in number. In addition, during an interactive question-and-answer session that played like a TV quiz show, some attendants registered surprise when they learned China is the country with the greatest number of people living with diabetes.

The summit was only open to CMI/Compas employees and the companies’ partners. The day was billed as an “educational experience” that also brought together thought leaders and industry experts in the medical field to share their knowledge and insights about diabetes.

CMI invited health care publishers such as Haymarket Media Inc., the Endocrine Society, M3 USA, Frontline Medical Communication, Pharmaceutical Media Inc., and Real Health magazine to lead the diabetes discussion about the far-reaching health effects of this devastating disease.

Some of the experts who appeared on a panel discussion included endocrinologists Arthur Chernoff, MD, and Elliot Rayfield, MD; Neil Skolnik, MD, a primary care physician; certified diabetes educators Lois Gerst and Neva White; and diabetes advocate and celebrity chef Charles Mattocks, a contributor to Real Health magazine.

Real Health’s editor-in-chief Kate Ferguson kicked off the event with introductory statements followed by Mattocks, who conducted a cooking demo in which he made a diabetes-approved dish from an original recipe.

For more about Mattocks’ journey with type 2 diabetes, click here.