Next time you’re sitting a crowded movie theater, walking down a busy street, or at any public place in America, look around. For every 13 people you see, at least one is likely to have diabetes.
According to the latest statistics, nearly 24 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, or 8% of the country’s population.
Of those, nearly a quarter—6 million—don’t know they have it and could be suffering unaware from complications. But that number is far better than in the past—10 years ago, half of all people with diabetes didn’t know they had it.
“Diabetes is increasingly recognized as a serious disease in the United States and throughout the world,” says Sue McLaughlin, BS, RD, CDE, President of Health Care and Education at the American Diabetes Association.
Among children and teens, about 1 in every 400 to 600 has type 1 diabetes. That means there are about 1 or 2 kids with diabetes in most large U.S. elementary and high schools. Children today are also being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, but exact numbers aren’t available for them as yet.
Just looking at adults—let’s say in any large office complex—about 1 in 10 will have diabetes. The older the group, the higher the number: About 1 in 4 nursing home residents in America has diabetes.
And here’s how it breaks down by race: About 1 in every 10 blacks, 1 in 8 Hispanics, 1 in 13 Asians, and 1 in 15 whites has diabetes. But Native Americans are the hardest-hit of all. About 1 in every 6 has diabetes—nearly double that of the rest of the U.S. population.
The Pima Indians in Arizona have the highest rates of type 2 diabetes in the entire world—More than half have been diagnosed with it. And even more alarming: The rate of type 2 diabetes among Native American children and teens has doubled over the last two decades.
A century ago, diabetes—and all chronic diseases—were nearly non-existent among Native Americans. In 1955, diabetes was not even on the top 10 list as a cause of death for this group of Americans. By 2009, it had jumped to #4. This is mostly due to increases in fats and sugars in the diet combined with far less physical activity than in the past, according to Ms. McLaughlin.
“The dramatic changes that have occurred in the diet and exercise habits for Native Americans in the past 100 years as a result of movement onto the reservations are an unfortunate illustration of what has happened and can happen to everyone in this country,” she says.
Indeed. In addition to the total 24 million Americans who currently have diabetes, another 57 million have pre-diabetes. So, taken together, about 1 in 4 people you see walking down the street in America either has diabetes or is at risk for developing it.
Unless something is done to reverse the trend, researchers say, 1 in 3 children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes. For non-white children, diabetes will hit half
But Ms. McLaughlin believes the trend CAN be turned around. In fact, several large studies with people from all ethnic backgrounds in the U.S. and abroad have shown that type 2 diabetes can be prevented with lifestyle change, including eating more healthful foods and exercising more.
But for this to happen, she says, “Every American needs to embrace the fact that he or she and family members are at risk for diabetes. Once we recognize this, we can take the next step to be proactive about our own health and the health of our children, elders and communities as a whole.”
And while the statistics are scary, they do not have to become a self-fulfilling reality: “With increased awareness of an individual's risk for diabetes, education about how to prevent it, and implementation of healthy lifestyle habits, diabetes can be stopped!"
Miriam E. Tucker is a medical journalist who has lived with type 1 diabetes since 1973. Her website is www.miriametucker.com. On Twitter, she’s @MiriamETucker.
According to the latest statistics, nearly 24 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, or 8% of the country’s population.
Of those, nearly a quarter—6 million—don’t know they have it and could be suffering unaware from complications. But that number is far better than in the past—10 years ago, half of all people with diabetes didn’t know they had it.
“Diabetes is increasingly recognized as a serious disease in the United States and throughout the world,” says Sue McLaughlin, BS, RD, CDE, President of Health Care and Education at the American Diabetes Association.
Among children and teens, about 1 in every 400 to 600 has type 1 diabetes. That means there are about 1 or 2 kids with diabetes in most large U.S. elementary and high schools. Children today are also being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, but exact numbers aren’t available for them as yet.
Just looking at adults—let’s say in any large office complex—about 1 in 10 will have diabetes. The older the group, the higher the number: About 1 in 4 nursing home residents in America has diabetes.
And here’s how it breaks down by race: About 1 in every 10 blacks, 1 in 8 Hispanics, 1 in 13 Asians, and 1 in 15 whites has diabetes. But Native Americans are the hardest-hit of all. About 1 in every 6 has diabetes—nearly double that of the rest of the U.S. population.
The Pima Indians in Arizona have the highest rates of type 2 diabetes in the entire world—More than half have been diagnosed with it. And even more alarming: The rate of type 2 diabetes among Native American children and teens has doubled over the last two decades.
A century ago, diabetes—and all chronic diseases—were nearly non-existent among Native Americans. In 1955, diabetes was not even on the top 10 list as a cause of death for this group of Americans. By 2009, it had jumped to #4. This is mostly due to increases in fats and sugars in the diet combined with far less physical activity than in the past, according to Ms. McLaughlin.
“The dramatic changes that have occurred in the diet and exercise habits for Native Americans in the past 100 years as a result of movement onto the reservations are an unfortunate illustration of what has happened and can happen to everyone in this country,” she says.
Indeed. In addition to the total 24 million Americans who currently have diabetes, another 57 million have pre-diabetes. So, taken together, about 1 in 4 people you see walking down the street in America either has diabetes or is at risk for developing it.
Unless something is done to reverse the trend, researchers say, 1 in 3 children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes. For non-white children, diabetes will hit half
But Ms. McLaughlin believes the trend CAN be turned around. In fact, several large studies with people from all ethnic backgrounds in the U.S. and abroad have shown that type 2 diabetes can be prevented with lifestyle change, including eating more healthful foods and exercising more.
But for this to happen, she says, “Every American needs to embrace the fact that he or she and family members are at risk for diabetes. Once we recognize this, we can take the next step to be proactive about our own health and the health of our children, elders and communities as a whole.”
And while the statistics are scary, they do not have to become a self-fulfilling reality: “With increased awareness of an individual's risk for diabetes, education about how to prevent it, and implementation of healthy lifestyle habits, diabetes can be stopped!"
Miriam E. Tucker is a medical journalist who has lived with type 1 diabetes since 1973. Her website is www.miriametucker.com. On Twitter, she’s @MiriamETucker.
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