Diabetes Epidemic Grows in U.S.

Oct. 3, 2003 -- The epidemic of type 2 diabetes is growing -- and it will get worse.

The latest look at the type 2 diabetes numbers comes from Health United States 2003. It's a compilation of statistics from several federal agencies including the U.S. Census Bureau and the CDC.

As of 2002, here's the bad news:

• 6.5% of American adults have diabetes. That's up from 5.5% in 2001.
• Overall, 12 million have been diagnosed with diabetes.
• 5 million Americans have diabetes but don't know it. This puts them at terrific risk of severe complications -- including blindness, amputations, and death.
• Another 12 million Americans have impaired glucose tolerance. This means they're well on the way to type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes -- commonly known as adult diabetes -- is almost entirely preventable. How? Eat less. Exercise more.

You'd have to have been on Mars to have missed this message. But most of us are tuning it out.

That's not just rhetoric. The numbers don't lie: Nearly two out of three Americans are overweight. Half of these overweight Americans are frankly obese. This is twice as much obesity as in 1976-1980.

There's a bright spot in the new numbers. Americans are living longer than ever before. Life expectancy for men is 74.4; for women it's 79.8. Of course, these numbers are based on mortality statistics. If we don't do something about the diabetes epidemic, it's hard to believe these gains will hold.

"While this report shows we're continuing to make progress in improving Americans' health, we know that we can do much more to reduce the impact of diabetes and other chronic, preventable diseases," HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson says in a news release. "There are simple steps we can all take, such as eating wisely and staying active, that can reduce the tolls that diabetes and heart disease take on our lives."