America, "land of the free" - yeah, free to eat whatever we want, which isn't exactly doing us any favors. Obesity epidemic, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes... lots of diabetes.
And if we don't kick our unhealthy habits, it's going to get a lot worse.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn if we continue to eat poorly and avoid exercise, one third of Americans will have diabetes by 2050.
Officials at the CDC studied census numbers and data on current diabetes trends, and made models to project future spikes in diabetes. Researchers say unless Americans change their lifestyles, diabetes could become even more common in the United States over the next 40 years.
The new report claims over the next 40 years the prevalence of total diabetes, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, could jump from 1 in 10 adults to between 1 in 5 adults, and 1 in 3 adults by 2050.
A spokesperson for the CDC said, "These are alarming numbers that show how critical it is to change the course of type-2 diabetes."
It's only 2010 and the U.S. is already mired in diabetes. In 2007, the American Diabetes Association estimated 17.9 million people were diagnosed with diabetes, with potentially another 5.7 million undiagnosed cases.
The CDC's current figures are no better. They estimate 24 million U.S. adults have diabetes, with type-2 diabetes being the most common. Poor diet, lack of exercise, and obesity are major risk factors for type-2 diabetes.
But hey, the rest of the world is in bad shape, too. The World Health Organization reports 220 million people have diabetes worldwide. World fail.
Image credit: Bektvel
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