15 Unknown Facts About Diabetes

Diabetes, also popularly referred to as 'high blood sugar' is a metabolic disorder in which the pancreas does not properly produce insulin or the cells are unable to use the available insulin (1^✔). Insulin is a hormone that is needed for daily life to convert sugar, starches and other foods into energy needed for our body. Factors such as genetics, the environment, obesity and a lack of exercise appear to play major roles in causing diabetes (2^✔).

Key Facts about Diabetes

1. Diabetes is the 5th most common cause of death in the world (3^✔).
2. The 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin was in 2021 (4^✔).
3. A total of 1.5 million deaths in 2019 were directly related to diabetes, and 48% of these deaths occurred in those under the age of 70 years (5^✔).
4. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 536.6 million people worldwide had diabetes in 2021, and this number is projected to increase to 783.2 million by 2045 (6^✔).
5. Type 2 diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, and more prevalent in the aged population (7^✔).
6. Type 2 diabetes is more common than type 1 diabetes, and it accounts for around 90% of all diabetes worldwide (8^✔).
7. The risk of type 2 diabetes in children who are obese is four times higher. This means that Type 2 is not only treatable, but also preventable, with a proper diet and healthy lifestyle (9^✔).
8. Women with diabetes are more likely to develop vaginal infections due to their high glucose levels. Also it impacts estrogen levels, menstrual and ovulation cycles, and sexual desire (10^✔).
9. Clinical research found that babies who were breastfed for more than three months had a lower incidence of Type 1 diabetes and were also less likely to become obese as adults (11^✔).
10. Researchers found that watching television for more than two hours, was associated with a 14% increase in the risk of diabetes (12^✔).

11. Around 80% of the 463 million people who have diabetes globally live in low- and middle-income countries (13^✔).
12. Most people living with diabetes now are between 40 and 59 years of age (14^✔).
13. When compared to population age and sex differences, average medical expenditure among people with diagnosed diabetes was 2.3 times higher than medical expenditure in the absence of diabetes (15^✔).
14. Nearly 10% of the entire U.S. population has diabetes, including over 25% of seniors. If present trends continue, 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 (16^✔).
15. Diabetes prevalence was predicted to increase from 2.8% in 2000 to 4.4% in 2030 across all age groups (17^✔).