Type 2 Diabetes Increased Substantially in US Over Past Decade – (09-29-00)

Type 2 Diabetes Increased Substantially in US Over Past Decade

With today’s Westernized diet and lack of exercise getting worse and worse by the generation, is this report really a big surprise?? I remember seeing an ad for a science program with an infant’s picture and a note next to it “lifespan 120 yrs.” I hate to be a doomsayer, but it our lifestyles do not change, we will note a drastic REDUCTION in life expectancy, not increase.

Diabetes Care 2000;23:1278-1283 The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the US increased dramatically between 1990 and 1998, in all regions and demographic groups and in nearly all states analyzed. According to the report, diabetes increased during the study period by 70% among individuals aged 30 to 39, by 40% among those aged 40 to 49, and by 31% among those aged 50 to 59. “Dramatic increases were also noted among various ethnic groups: Hispanics had a 38% increase compared to whites with a 29% increase and blacks with a 26% increase,” the CDC announced in a press release. “We were not really surprised at what we found,” said Dr. Ali H. Mokdad, visiting scientist with the CDC’s Division of nutrition and Physical Activity. “Given the spread of obesity across the country and knowing that diabetes is strongly associated with obesity, we expected this to be the case,” he told Reuters Health.