January 31, 2001
		Diabetes Shows Dramatic Rise in U.S. Incidence of diabetes in the United States has risen by about 6 percent in 1999 across nearly every demographic category. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) attributes the rise in diabetes to the increased rate of obesity, which had risen a startling 57 percent from 1991. Obesity has been linked to a poor, high-fat diet and inactivity. According to the CDCP, the percentage of adults with diabetes jumped from about 6.5 to 6.9 percent in 1999, and since 1991, the obesity rate has increased from 12 percent of the population of the U.S. to include nearly one in five. "The message is out there -- lose weight by increasing your physical activity and changing your diet," CDCP epidemiologist Ali Mokdar said. "But nobody is doing it." In August the CDCP reported that diabetes jumped 33 percent in the U.S. between 1990 and 1998. The increase was sharpest among people ages 30 to 39. CDCP director Jeffrey Koplan said that the resultant effect on the nation's health care costs will be staggering if the trends continue. "This dramatic new evidence signals the unfolding of an epidemic in the United States." Diabetes kills approximately 180,000 Americans every year, and is a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure and amputations. Diabetes also dramatically raises the risk of a heart attack. The new statistics will appear in the February issue of the medical journal Diabetes Care.