A new report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta has revealed that one in three children born in the US in the year 2000 will go on to develop type II diabetes at some point in their lives. KM Venkat Narayan and colleagues estimate that the number of US citizens with type II diabetes will exceed 28 million within the next 50 years. At present roughly 17 million citizens are thought to have the condition. Results showed that women have a slightly higher risk of developing the condition than men. Furthermore, minority groups have a significantly higher risk of diabetes than white Americans, for example Hispanics have a one in two chance of developing the disease. Type II diabetes is a serious condition that significantly increases a person's chances of developing other diseases, such as heart disease. Study results also showed that being diabetic significantly reduces life expectancy. Narayan et al estimate that if an individual is diagnosed at 40 years old, men will lose 11.6 years of their life and 18.6 quality-adjusted life-years. Meanwhile a woman's life expectancy would be reduced by 14.3 years and 22.0 quality-adjusted life-years. The study concluded that the increase in the incidence of diabetes is directly proportional to the increasing rates of obesity.

SOURCE/REFERENCE: JAMA 2003;290:1884-1890.