A healthy diet and regular exercise are the only exhaustive measures for preventing diabetes - which today claims 10 times as many victims in Hong Kong and China as it did 30 years ago, said Jeffrey Bland, a Washington state-based biochemist and nutritionist.

However, instead of a stringent diet regime, a regular meal of leafy choi sum, stir-fried chicken, and steamed rice could be enough.

``People need to stop saying we should eat like Americans and view that as a sign of success. Asian eating patterns for years were just right,'' Bland said.

``They lacked all the false sweeteners and fats. China and Hong Kong have thrown away a lot of what was good as they've started eating like Westerners.''

An emergence of a Western lifestyle in Hong Kong and China is the root cause of the disease's growth here, Bland said. As the region has prospered, more people are choosing quick, unhealthy foods over home-cooked meals.

Fast foods, microwave dinners, and soft-drinks as well as a sedentary lifestyle all impair the cell's ability to process insulin, leading to Type II diabetes - the particular strain of disease menacing Hong Kong and China. ``When China had a biking lifestyle, the exercise mode prevented diabetes. Those who exercise regularly have more than a 50 per cent less chance of getting diabetes,'' Bland said.

``All the large national data in Asia as well as the [United] States shows there are fewer meals being prepared from home. We are raising a real generation of youth that doesn't have any familiarity with cooking.''

There are about 214,000 people over the age of 15 with diabetes, a 2003 government survey estimated. Last year, 783 men and women died from diabetes, up 36.4 per cent from 2002, according to the SAR health department. People with Type II diabetes are more likely to have strokes, coronary heart disease, some cancers, and even dementia, said Bland.

``Everyone who is in public health is deathly afraid of what this means for this generation of children. As they grow up, they will have a host of other associated diseases,'' he insisted.

``It will put such a burden on health care systems they won't be able to pay for it.''

Bland's rubric for good diet is one rich in ``colored foods'', like fruits and vegetables, and other fresh meats and legumes.