Diabetes rates in the United States have finally plateaued, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The findings published yesterday in the Journal of the American Medical Association made the claim after analyzing diabetes rates since 1980.
“There’s been a lot of good news lately in terms of rates of complications decreasing…but this is the first time we’ve been able to detect a change in the incidence of diabetes in a good way,” said Linda Geiss, chief of diabetes surveillance at the CDC.
That said, Geiss cautioned that diabetes rates still remain at a disturbing level. Rates aren’t increasing, but they also aren’t decreasing.
“It’s not disappearing, it’s leveled off….We need to continue all our efforts to help combat it, to prevent the complications of diabetes in those who have the disease, and to prevent diabetes itself.”
She concluded by saying that physicians will play a key role going forward in the prevention and reduction of diabetes cases.
“It’s certainly important for physicians to recommend lifestyle intervention programs to their patients at high risk,” said Geiss. “We know that these work and can help prevent diabetes.”
More Diabetes Data
Researchers at the CDC said diabetes prevalence and incidence rose between 1990 and 2008, with annual increases of 4.5 percent and 4.7 percent respectively. Between 2008 and 2012, the US saw a 0.6 percent increase in the prevalence of diabetes, but a 5.4 percent drop in incidence. Other findings during the past two decades include:
- Diabetes incidence and prevalence increased at a significant rate for younger adults than older adults.
- Black and Hispanic diabetes rates increased at a greater rate than for white adults.
- Individuals with only a high school level education had a bigger increase in diabetes prevalence than those with more than just a high school degree.
Dr. Silverman comments
We write about diabetes pretty frequently on the blog, and although the article appears to state that rates have plateaued, the number of individuals affected by the disease is too high, and we should never take a study simply at face value.
In all, we’re slowly moving in the right direction, but there’s still work left to be done. Take care of your body. Follow the four lifestyle pillars to avoid death or the five health habits of healthy individuals and you’ll surely decrease your risk of diabetes or heart disease. There is no magic pill to counteract all the junk food you put in your body. Exercise and a healthy diet are two great ways to ensure your body stays in tiptop shape.
Related source: Medscape
