Type 2 diabetes: Study predicts ‘staggering’ rise in condition among young people in America
A new modeling study is causing alarm after finding that the number of young people with diabetes in the United States will increase by nearly 700% over the next 40 years.
The study entitled “Projections The burden of type 1 and type 2 diabetes in the US population aged <20 years by 2060: The SEARCH study of diabetes in youth," was published in the journal Diabetes Care on December 29, 2022.
The authors of the study predict that there could be 220,000 people under the age of 20 with Type 2 diabetes in 2060 — an increase of about 675% compared to the number of young people with type 2 diabetes in 2017.
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“This new research should serve as a wake-up call for all of us. It is vitally important that we focus our efforts to ensure that all Americans, especially our young people, are the healthiest they can be,” said CDC Acting Director Debra Houry, MD, MPH, in a statement released Dec. 29.
Houry added, “This study further underscores the importance of continued efforts to prevent and manage chronic disease, not only for our current population but for generations to come.”
People with diabetes need to monitor their blood sugar to ensure it is at a safe level.
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Type 1 diabetes mellitus, or type 1 diabetes, was formerly known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes.
The cause is unknown and is suspected to be related to genetic or environmental factors, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
People with type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin and must take it to survive.
Type 2 diabetes refers to a condition in which a person’s pancreas does not produce enough insulin and the cells become resistant to insulin.
Typically, people are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when they are children; however, it can occur at any age, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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In contrast, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or type 2 diabetes, was previously called adult-onset diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
It is associated with obesity and inactivity.
Type 2 diabetes refers to a condition in which a person’s pancreas does not produce enough insulin and the cells become resistant to insulin.
This results in an increase in a person’s blood sugar, which can be dangerous over time, the Mayo Clinic says.
Diet and exercise are two ways people can control type 2 diabetes, the Mayo Clinic says.
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This condition cannot be cured.
However, it can be controlled with medication, proper diet and exercise.
In the study, researchers found that if the 2017 incidence rate of all types of diabetes among young people remained the same through 2060, the total number of young people with diabetes would rise from 213,000 to 239,000 — a 12% increase.
However, over the past two decades the no young people with type 2 diabetes has “increased significantly,” the CDC said.
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The CDC believes that the “increasing prevalence of childhood obesity,” as well as the “presence of diabetes in people of reproductive age,” may be two reasons why the number of young people with type 2 diabetes has increased so rapidly.
Those with type 2 diabetes may need the help of medication to better control their blood sugar.
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When the percentage increase in the number of young people with type 2 diabetes between 2002 and 2017 is applied to future generations, the researchers found that the number of young people with diabetes could be as high as 526,000.
“The rise of diabetes — especially among young people — is always a concern, but these numbers are alarming,” said Christopher Holliday, director of the CDC’s diabetes translational division, in a press release of the CDC study.
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Race and ethnicity are believed to play a role, the study said.
It found that there is likely to be a “higher burden of type 2 diabetes for Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native youth.”
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“This study’s surprising projections for the rise of type 2 diabetes show why it is critical to advance health equity and reduce the widespread disparities that are already taking a toll on people’s health,” Holliday said.
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