Diabetes Numbers Could Triple by 2050
As many as one in three U.S. adults could have diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue, according to a new analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While one in 10 U.S. adults has diabetes now, that number is expected to rise sharply over the next 40 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report estimates that the number of Americans with diabetes will range from 1 in 3 to 1 in 5 by 2050.
The jump will come in part as the large numbers of people who already have diabetes – many who are developing it at younger and younger ages – live longer with the condition. But the CDC also projects a stepping up in the rate of new cases: In 2008 there were eight new cases of diabetes per 1,000 people, but in 2050 that will increase to 15 new cases per 1,000. The increase in new cases are due to an aging population more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and increases in minority groups that are at high risk for type 2 diabetes.
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Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include older age, obesity, family history, having diabetes while pregnant, a sedentary lifestyle, and race/ethnicity. Groups at higher risk for the disease are African-Americans, Hispanics, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and some Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders.
The effects of diabetes can be devastating. In 2007, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death, and is the leading cause of kidney failure, non-accident/injury leg and foot amputations among adults, and new cases of blindness among adults under age 75. People with diagnosed diabetes have medical costs that are more than twice that of those without the disease.
But the CDC also says something can be done to something can be done to considerably reduce future increases in diabetes and reduce its complications. A good diet and physical activity can reduce the risk of diabetes and also help to control the condition in people who have diabetes.
Their National Diabetes Prevention Program emphasizes dietary changes, coping skills and group support to help participants lose 5 percent to 7 percent of their body weight and get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity. The Diabetes Prevention Program clinical trial, led by the National Institutes of Health, has shown that those measures can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58 percent in people at higher risk of the disease.
In addition to eating well to manage your weight, there are also foods have either a positive or negative effect on blood sugar control and diabetes. See Foods that Raise, Lower Diabetes Risk for the foods that the American Diabetes Association, Harvard Medical School and Dr. Cherry recommend adding to or avoiding in your diet.
There are also herbs, minerals and extracts that will optimize your efforts to control your blood sugar through natural means. Chromium, bilberry, vanadium, and the other nutrients found in our New & Improved Blood Sugar Support have been proven in clinical studies to help balance and maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
If your weight loss efforts need an added boost, you may want to try adding the Weight Management Program, which provides the key ingredients to help curb your appetite, increase your metabolism and better utilize fat for energy.
