New Study Shows Diabetes Surging Worldwide

The number of adults worldwide with diabetes has more than doubled in the past three decades — jumping to nearly 350 million — and it continues to surge, according to a new study in the journal Lancet. Researchers say much of this dramatic increase — in Pacific island countries, North America and some of the Gulf states — is due to aging populations and rapid population growth. But part of it has also been driven by rising obesity rates, especially among young people. One in 10 adults, in countries throughout the world, suffers from diabetes. Researchers collected data on blood sugar levels from nearly three million people in 200 countries over a 30-year period. Most of the participants had Type-2 diabetes, a disease linked to aging, obesity and inactivity. Harvard School of Public Health June 2011