Argentina's president is getting a lot of heat from diabetes experts after claiming in a speech that it's a disease of the wealthy.

Cristina Fernandez claimed Tuesday night that "diabetes is a disease of the rich because they are sedentary and eat a lot."

Health experts say wealth has nothing to do with diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune problem, and while type 2 diabetes has to do with diet and exercise, it afflicts rich and poor alike. In fact, in many countries the chronic disease is growing fastest among the poor.

Liliana Tieri founded Argentina's diabetes association, CUIDAR. She told The Associated Press on Wednesday that "it shows up in the rich and the poor - there are no economic frontiers" to diabetes.