One-Third in the U.S. May Be Diabetic by 2050

One out of every three U.S. adults may suffer from type 2 diabetes by 2050, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report published in the journal Population Health Metrics. Currently, 10% of U.S. adults suffer from diabetes, and 25% percent of those with diabetes are still undiagnosed.

Rising obesity rates will be a significant contributor. The CDC states that groups such as African Americans and Hispanics are now also more at risk for developing diabetes. In addition, the general population at large is now living longer with the disease.

Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in 2007 and is the number-one cause for adult blindness, kidney failure, and non-accident-related limb amputation, according to the report. Moreover, it increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke, and has also been linked to dementia and some forms of cancer and lung disease.

CDC estimates that diabetes currently costs the U.S. $116 billion in medical costs, annually.

“These are alarming numbers that show how critical it is to change the course of type 2 diabetes,” said Ann Albright, PhD, RD, director of CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation. “Successful programs to improve lifestyle choices on healthy eating and physical activity must be made more widely available, because the stakes are too high and the personal toll too devastating to fail.”

Read the CDC report here.