24 Million Americans Have Diabetes

CDC: 8 Percent Of Population Affected By Disease; Percentage Unaware Of Having It Decreases

(AP)  The number of Americans with diabetes has grown to about 24 million people, or roughly 8 percent of the U.S. population, the government said Tuesday.

A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on data from 2007, said the number represents an increase of about 3 million over two years. The CDC estimates another 57 million people have blood sugar abnormalities called pre-diabetes, which puts people at increased risk for the disease.

The percentage of people unaware that they have diabetes fell from 30 percent to 25 percent, according to the study.

Dr. Ann Albright, director of the CDC Division of Diabetes Translation, said the report has "both good news and bad news."

"It is concerning to know that we have more people developing diabetes, and these data are a reminder of the importance of increasing awareness of this condition, especially among people who are at high risk," Albright said in a statement.

"On the other hand, it is good to see that more people are aware that they have diabetes."

A message left Tuesday night seeking further comment from the CDC wasn't immediately returned.

The disease results from defects in insulin production that causes sugar to build up in the body. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the country and can cause serious health problems including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputations.

Among adults, diabetes increased in both men and women and in all age groups, but still disproportionately affects the elderly. Almost 25 percent of the population 60 years and older had diabetes in 2007.

After adjusting for population age differences between various groups, the rate of diagnosed diabetes was highest among American Indians and Alaska Natives (16.5 percent). This was followed by blacks (11.8 percent) and Hispanics (10.4 percent), which includes rates for Puerto Ricans (12.6 percent), Mexican Americans (11.9 percent), and Cubans (8.2 percent).

By comparison, the rate for Asian Americans was 7.5 percent, with whites at 6.6 percent.

[kibitzer3]

drinuk:
I don''t know about the connection between diabetes and aspartame, although I wouldn''t be surprised. But I do know that various vaccines can cause type 1 diabetes. (Harris L Coulter, PhD has presented this material in summary form to a congressional committee.) I also see on CBS/WebMD that, according to the CDC, 52% of Americans with diabetes also have arthritis. Arthritis (and a whole host of other autoimmune diseases) is/can also be caused by vaccines.
Go figure. And do your homework. And join the chorus of voices calling for a greater investigation of the downside of vaccines than the authorities have been willing to engage in.
It''s a scandal of major proportions.

[kibitzer3]

drinuk:
I don''t know about the connection between diabetes and aspartame, although I wouldn''t be surprised, for all the damage it does in the body. But I do know that various vaccines can cause type 1 diabetes. (Harris L Coulter, PhD has presented this material in summary form to a congressional committee.) I also see on CBS/WebMD that, according to the CDC, 52% of Americans with diabetes also have arthritis (June 8 report). Arthritis (and a whole host of other autoimmune diseases) is/can also be caused by vaccines.
Go figure. And do your homework. And join the chorus of voices calling for a greater investigation of the downside of vaccines than the authorities have been willing to engage in.
It''s a scandal of major proportions.

[kibitzer3]

drinuk:
I don''t know about the connection between diabetes and aspartame, although I wouldn''t be surprised, for all the damage it does in the body. But I do know that various vaccines can cause type 1 diabetes. (Harris L Coulter, PhD - arguably the US''s foremost medical historian - has presented this material in summary form to a congressional committee.) I also see on CBS/WebMD that, according to the CDC, 52% of Americans with diabetes also have arthritis (June 8 report). Arthritis (& arthralgia; and a whole host of other autoimmune diseases) is - can also be caused by vaccines.
Go figure. And do your homework. And join the chorus of voices calling for a greater investigation of the downside of vaccines than the authorities have been willing to engage in.
It''s a scandal of major proportions.

[drinuk]

Surprise, surprise and only 24 million ! Considering the amounts of ASPARTAME being consumed it should be around ten times that figure. Thats what it''s all about. ASPARTAME, in 2000 food and beverage products on the supermarket shelves, worst offenders Wrigleys, Coke & Pepsi but the list of Corporate Crooks using this poison is endless AND furthermore they and the FDA, KNOW OF THE SIDE EFFECTS. Who is the ex CEO of SERLE who got this through the FDA ??? Oh! Yes his name is Donald, No! not Duck, Rumsfelt, I rest my case.

[bluestardad]

HEY MEDICAL FIELD

CURE SOMETHING

ANYTHING!

QUIT MAKING MONEY OFF TREATING ILLNESS

AMERICA DESERVES BETTER!

[gaye5]

Based on the NHIS, an estimated 7.2 million persons

in the United States had diabetes in 1991.

The 1991-93 average rate of 2.97%
is more than three times the rate in 1960 (0.91%) and
eight times the rate in 1935 (0.37%).
Now in 2008, America has 24 million people with diabetes, 8% of the population..
What is going on America..

[dianeeeeee]

The article says that the cause of diabetes remains a mystery. HA!

How do a lot of females get diabetes? 6 - 10% of females in the US have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome,) a direct cause of many females'' diabetes.

This has been known for years and years--and the treatment, too. But most every doctor ignores it. Girls and women who figure it out for themselves need to fight with doctor after doctor after doctor to get tested properly and then fight, fight, fight to get treated!

Stupid doctors.

Endocrinologists are the worst offenders--and diabetes is their forte! PCOS should be, as well.

Most conventional doctors in the US stink--for a lot of reasons.

For the females reading this: PCOS usually starts at puberty. Often it shows as excess hair growth (light or dark) on the upper lip, neck, arms or thighs, etc.
Messed-up periods and acne are common. Sooner or later many are overweight or obese--yet some are thin. And more. It often leads to heart disease--and again, diabetes.

It''s a disease of insulin resistance. It requires treatment over a lifetime--not just during a woman''s fertile years. Again, too many stupid doctors think a woman is undeserving after menopause.

Girls and women are badgered by doctors, family and society to lose weight. With PCOS--how? They need treatment.

Get the book: The Savvy Woman''s Guide To PCOS, by ELizabeth Lee Vliet MD. Then--go fight for yourself! And bring the book.

[wineberry]

The statistics pointed out in the article claiming this many people in America have diabetes is not surprising, given the American Diet has been cited as one of the worst in the world. There are far too many sugars, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, fats and God knows what else that are dumped in the prepared and ready-mixed foods we buy at stores. Restaurants are not exempt either from all the sugars and fats they prepare foods with. Many Americans eat way too many carbohydrates, high-fat meats, sugary foods, not enough fruit and vegetables, and not enough whole grains and fiber. I''ve left many packaged ready-mix boxes of foods on the shelves at stores after reading the labels, and so many list sugar as the first or second ingredient meaning it has a lot in it. So on the shelf it stays, no thanks. And the king-sized candy bars that are thrust out at you at every checkout counter are no help either. Regular sodas are nothing more than liquid candy. Americans are addicted to sugars and fats, so it''s not surprising so many are diabetics.

I ain''t got diabetes and I ain''t goin'' to get it. Did that get your attention? The Standard American Diet is the program for diabetes. They never mention Stevia as a substitute for deadly refine sugar. My blood sugar is 91 and fruits and vegetables are my diet.

[michael0004]

Type-2 diabetes has been attributed to exposure to dioxen (Agent Orange). Anyone who has type-2 diabetes and is a Vietnam veteran should file for medical and other disability benefits with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The only criteria for eligibility is (1) service in Vietnam (that usually can documented with a DD 214) and (2) diagnosis of type-2 diabetes (or any other disease presumed to be associated with exposore to Agent Orange). For any Vietnam veteran who actually set foot on soil in Vietnam getting the benefits is usually a "slam dunk". But if you are Vietnam veteran who did not set foot on land in Vietnam, such as sailors who served on ship that operated close ashore or in Vietnam harbors or if you only served in Laos or Cambodia, the VA is not acting on disability claims during the pendancy of a court case. More info can be obtained at www. bluewaternavy.org. Even if you are a Vietnam vet with Type - 2 diabetes who did not set foot on Vietnam soil, you should still file a claim to preserve your rights during the pendancy of the court case.

[smiley676]

This story is really unhelpful. Are they talking about type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes?

There are ways to prevent type 2 diabetes, but there is no way to prevent type 1 (yet).

The numbers make a big difference depending on the type of disease. If it is type 2, it makes sense that it has gone up as waistlines have gotten bigger. If it is type 1, it would seem that more research is needed into what could be the cause.

[talkingham]

Oh I suppose gobs of corn syrup and high frutose corn syrup in virtually every bottled or boxed food one buys has nothing to do with this along with a generation that was fed with trans fats in every boxed or bottled food product along with the nutritionists who never raised a flag about trans fats has nothing to do with it either.

Along with these things throw in all this poly-unsaturated rancid vegetable fats that diet dictocrats have mandated and you have a great precursor to all kinds of health problems from diabetes to cancer to heart disease.

[Syndicate]

2 things.

1. Sleep deprivation can cause diabetes. So all you parents got a new one to get the kids in bed early.

2. 24 million more customers for that company making Bladders and Kidneys. The kidneys are not on the market yet. I imagine a pancreas is not to far off.

[andor3]

yes it is disturbing to see these inaccuracies in an AP story. As IDNNSG says diabetes is a label used for several different diseases and it is not clear which this story is about.

And the big mystery is WHY these diseases are growing more common!

[omega39-2009]

When I was young a large soda was 12 or 16 oz, today it is 64 oz with free or reduced cost refills. That much high fructose corn syrup can''t be good. OTOH, now that corn is going sky high due to ethanol, maybe sodas will return to normal size.

[barbaraf4]

My dog has diabetes. She is tested twice daily and she receives insulin injections twice daily. I cook, measure and weigh every bite she eats.

[idnnsg]

PS there are actually even more types of diabetes than the 3 I mentioned, and there is even one type that CAN be cured, but these other types are VERY rare.

[idnnsg]

Misleading: "The disease results from defects in insulin production that causes sugar to build up in the body."

Type 1 Diabetes: A person doesn''t make insulin because the immune system attacks & kills all the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Without a transplant, there is no cure, so type 1 diabetics must take insulin shots several times a day & they have to carefully balance exercise, food, & insulin to control blood sugar. (Stem cells might be used to grow beta cells in the pancreas, but the repugs & religious fanatics won''t let that happen.)

Type 2 Diabetes: A person makes insulin but it doesn''t work well. These people typically are seriously overweight & the cells resist letting in any more sugar, so it stays in the bloodstream. Losing weight, regular exercise, & taking a couple of pills can control type 2 diabetes. But if that doesn''t work then they have to take insulin too.

The 3rd type is "gestational diabetes". It''s usually temporary, only lasting while the mother is pregnant, plus a couple months, until the excess weight is gone. Some people with gestational diabetes never get over it, essentially turning into either a Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic.

There are only 2 to 3 million Type 1 diabetics in the USA. The 24 million diabetics this story mentions are mostly Type 2. But both s.u.ck! They can cause serious disruptions in your life & make every day much more difficult. If I had to choose between them, tho, I''d pick Type 2 & exercise my buttt off.

[Baumer]

And every one of them is a LIBERAL who has been stricken with this pestilince by God Almighty.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by faith_in_w at 01:26 PM : Jun 25, 2008

Diabetes is an imballance in the Genetic structure of your Pancreas, which produces Insulin. It is the lack of Insulin that causes Kidney Disease, Heart complications due to a Potasium build-up in the Kidney & eventually can lead to amputaions of limbs and death.

All people of every race, creed & even Religions Faith_In_W have it. The Vice President has Diabetes, which has lead to his heart condition. The President''s Mother has it, so does the President''s Older brother & his daughters or their children may eventually be diagnosed as well - It''s genetic so it passes off in each generation.

I am the result of such a passing & though I have maintained my blood sugar by eating correctly, taking your Diabetes Medication & maintaining a light regiment of exersize (you do not have to become Richard Simmons or Jared to keep your Blood Sugar under control) I have keep my numbers within normal parameters for the last 3-years.

So in conclusion: those who attempt to use GOD as a means for the increase of Diabetes should be ashamed of themselves, it is not the issue of God or free will that has made us Diabetics - It is the Genetic structure of us being part of the same family that has done this & only research/development can find a cure.

[cdfoxtrot]

"24 Million Americans Have Diabetes". Don''t let the moron-in-chief hear about this, or he''ll start a "war on sugar".