Why is type 2 diabetes on the rise

Diabetes is at an all-time high in the U. In , around 9. Nearly a quarter of those with the condition do not know they have it. Between and , the number of people living with diabetes more than tripled , and the number of new cases doubled every year. Figures suggest that the incidence is levelling off and may even be falling, but it remains unclear whether this will continue as other factors come into play, such as the aging population.

The CDC report that 4. Type 2 diabetes is thought to result from a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors. Scientists do not know the exact cause, but risk factors appear to include :. As obesity has become more prevalent over the past few decades, so too has the rate of type 2 diabetes. In , more than 1 in 3 people in the U.

In , obesity affected From to , the incidence of diabetes increased by 90 percent. Although the link between obesity and diabetes is well known, the reasons for the link remain unclear.

A report in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism asks why, if there is a link, obesity does not always lead to diabetes. The same report notes that the location of body fat appears to play a role. People with more fat in the upper body area and around the waist are more likely to get diabetes than those who carry their body fat around the hips and lower body. According to the CDC, 79, deaths occur each year due to diabetes. The number of fatalities related to diabetes may be underreported.

Learn more here about how diabetes affects life expectancy. Trends in prevalence and control of diabetes in the United States, and Changes in age at diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United States, to Ann Fam Med. Status and trends of diabetes in Chinese children: analysis of data from 14 medical centers. World J Pediatr. National, regional, and global trends in fasting plasma glucose and diabetes prevalence since systematic analysis of health examination surveys and epidemiological studies with country-years and 2.

Asia Pac J Public Health. Tremblay M. The need for directly measured health data in Canada. Can J Public Health. Prevalence of physical activity and obesity in US counties, — a road map for action. Journal of Diabetes EBM.

Can J diabetes. Canadian Diabetes Association. Clinical practice guidelines for the prevention and management of diabetes in Canada. Can J Diabetes. American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes Effectiveness of an HbA1c tracking tool on primary care management of diabetes mellitus: glycaemic control, clinical practice and usability.

Inform Prim Care. Body mass index history and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition epic —potsdam study. Am J Clin Nutr. Targets for glycemic control. Florkowski C. HbA1c as a diagnostic test for diabetes mellitus. Clin Biochem Rev. Q: is hemoglobin A1c an accurate measure of glycemic control in all diabetic patients? Cleve Clin J Med. Goldenberg R, Punthakee Z. Definition, classification and diagnosis of diabetes, prediabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus. Download references. VT contributed to the manuscript by creating the databases, analyzing and interpreting the results. MB contributed to the acquisition of the data and helped analyzing and interpreting the results.

EL helped with the creation of databases and the interpretation of the results. LB helped with the interpretation of the results. SH helped with the interpretation of the results. BG contributed to the acquisition of the data and interpretation of the results. MM helped with acquisition of the data and the interpretation of the results. All authors approved the final version of the article. The authors would like to thank Michel Arsenault from the New Brunswick Health Council for his previous experience and expertise with these datasets and for facilitating access to the data, and to members of the New Brunswick Department of Health who supported the extraction and transfer of the data.

The population-level data used for this study are readily available through open access from Statistics Canada. The individual-level data analyzed remain the intellectual property of the New Brunswick Department of Health. Through a data sharing agreement, the authors are licensed users of the data, and under the licensing agreement are not permitted to share or distribute the data.

The databases used for this study were completely anonymized. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar.

Reprints and Permissions. Thibault, V. Factors that could explain the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes among adults in a Canadian province: a critical review and analysis. Diabetol Metab Syndr 8, 71 Download citation. Received : 01 August Accepted : 28 October Published : 09 November Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:.

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Download PDF. Abstract Background The prevalence of diabetes has increased since the last decade in New Brunswick. Methods A critical literature review was conducted to identify factors potentially responsible for an increase in prevalence of diabetes.

Results Factors identified in the review were summarized in five categories: individual-level risk factors, environmental risk factors, evolution of the disease, detection effect and global changes.

Conclusions This study presents a comprehensive overview of factors potentially responsible for population level changes in prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Background With million people living with diabetes in [ 1 ], the World Health Organization declared the condition as being epidemic [ 2 ]. Methods Step 1: critical review procedure A critical review of the literature was conducted to identify all factors potentially involved in explaining changes in the prevalence of diabetes.

Variables Prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes were measured annually as the proportion of individuals with diabetes and the proportion of individuals with prediabetes divided by their respective populations at risk during the fiscal year, defined as April 1st to March 31st. Statistical analysis Cochran—armitage analyses of trend were used to assess the association between time fiscal year and variables represented as yearly prevalence.

Results From , individuals identified with diabetes in the registry between and , 97, individuals were included because they were diagnosed at 30 years old or older.

Table 1 Description of factors related to the prevalence of type 2 diabetes Full size table. Number of individuals who received at least one HbA1c test by fiscal year. Full size image. Discussion The prevalence of type 2 diabetes has more than doubled in the past 15 years in New Brunswick. Conclusions In conclusion, this study presents a comprehensive overview of potential factors that could explain the change in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes. References 1.

Article PubMed Google Scholar 6. Article PubMed Google Scholar 7. CAS Google Scholar 8. Article PubMed Google Scholar Google Scholar Article Google Scholar PubMed Google Scholar Article Google Scholar Download references. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Michel Arsenault from the New Brunswick Health Council for his previous experience and expertise with these datasets and for facilitating access to the data, and to members of the New Brunswick Department of Health who supported the extraction and transfer of the data.

Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Availability of data and material The population-level data used for this study are readily available through open access from Statistics Canada. Ethics approval and consent to participate The databases used for this study were completely anonymized. Childhood obesity rates are rising, and so are the rates of type 2 diabetes in youth. Parents can help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by developing a plan for the whole family:.

Healthy changes become habits more easily when everyone makes them together. Find out how to take charge family style with these healthy tips. Tap into online diabetes communities for encouragement, insights, and support. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.

Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. This increase in insulin resistance often occurs during puberty. Most children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are about 12 or 13 years old. Diabetes is one of the leading risk factors for heart attack and stroke. It also can cause damage to the eyes, including blindness, as well as kidney and liver failure.

Diabetes also causes nerve damage that can result in loss of sensation in the feet and wounds. If left untreated, this can lead to amputation. Nearly 20 percent of children and adolescents have obesity, a percentage than has more than tripled since the s.

Researchers think the recent rise in type 2 diabetes is directly related to the rise in obesity rates in the United States, Dr. Mayer-Davis says. Calikoglu says there are some social and economic factors that contribute to this rise in obesity in younger populations. The second factor is that calorie-rich foods are generally cheaper than healthy foods.