The pandemic of type 2 diabetes is, inevitably, at the cross-roads of globalization and aging, and is intricately linked to contemporary lifestyles (e.g., inactivity, sedentary behaviors, dietary factors, urban stress). The disease is inter-related with all vascular risk factors (e.g., high blood pressure, abnormal lipids, obesity /adiposity, thrombogenesis, oxidative stresses, inflammation), and results in substantial morbidity, disability, loss of quality and quantity of life, and economic burden worldwide.