Alterations of Cortisol Homeostasis May Link Changes of the Sociocultural Environment to an Increased Diabetes and Metabolic Risk in Developing Countries: A Prospective Diagnostic Study Performed in Cooperation With the Ovahimba People of the Kunene Region/Northwestern Namibia

Abstract

Urbanization of the Ovahimba people is associated with an increasing prevalence of disorders of glucose metabolism and other unfavorable metabolic parameters. Besides changes of lifestyle, this may be attributed to an increased cortisol exposure of the Ovahimba people living in an urban environment.