21 million Americans have diabetes, CDC finds

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Nearly 21 million Americans have
diabetes, most of them the type-2 variety associated with poor
diet, too little exercise and being overweight, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday.

This represents about 7 percent of the population — and
more than 6 million of these people do not know they have the
condition, the CDC said.

“Another 41 million people are estimated to have
pre-diabetes, a condition that increases the risk of developing
type 2 diabetes — the most common form of the disease — as
well as heart disease and stroke,” the CDC said in a statement.

Diabetes is a lack of control of glucose, or blood sugar.
Type-1 diabetes, or juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune
condition in which the body mistakenly destroys the pancreatic
cells that make insulin. It affects an estimated 2 million
Americans.

Type-2 diabetes once was called adult-onset diabetes but it
now affects many children as well. It is the sixth leading
cause of death in the United States and can lead to many other
diseases.

“Diabetes is a leading cause of adult blindness, lower-limb
amputation, kidney disease and nerve damage. Two-thirds of
people with diabetes die from a heart attack or stroke,” said
Dr. Frank Vinicor, director of CDC’s diabetes program.

Several genes are known to contribute to diabetes, but it
has become more common as the population has become fatter.

The risk of diabetes increases with age. About 21 percent
of Americans aged 60 years or older have diabetes, the CDC
said.

“Recent studies have shown that people with pre-diabetes
can successfully prevent or delay the onset of diabetes by
losing 5 percent to 7 percent of their body weight,” Vinicor
said in a statement.

“This can be accomplished through 30 minutes or more of
physical activity most days of the week and by following a low
calorie, low fat eating plan, including a diet rich in whole
grains and fruits and vegetables,” he added.