CDC: Diabetes cases on the rise

CDC: Diabetes cases on the rise

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that an unprecedented epidemic of diabetes cases will be seen in the United States unless unhealthy lifestyles are changed soon.

One out of three adults in the country will be diagnosed with diabetes by the year 2050, the CDC reported. New cases will jump from eight in 1,000 in 2008, to 15 in 1,000 in 2050.

Presently, one in ten American adults has diabetes, but health authorities warn that the numbers could go higher because of the aging population and the rise in the number of minorities, many of which are more prone to developing the disease.

The CDC report has many health experts worried and fear that the growing prevalence of obesity is one of the main reasons for the the high projection.

“This is just the latest in a series of disturbing epidemiologic studies on the diabetes pandemic,” said Dr. Charles Clark, professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

The U.S. is not alone in the fight against the dreaded disease, with approximately 258 million people globally diagnosed with diabetes this year and could increase up to 438 million by 2030, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

The economic impact of diabetes is also substantial with $174 billion spent every year by Americans, said the American Diabetes Association.

Physicians and health authorities point out that diabetes can be prevented by adopting lifestyle changes. A healthy diet, weight loss and regular exercise can go a long way in preventing the disease. So, the ultimate responsibility lies on the individual itself not to create additional risk for developing diabetes.

Posted by George Daniels on Sunday October 24 2010, 9:09 AM EDT. Ref: ABC News. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0