40 per cent of American children expected to develop type 2 diabetes

40% of Americans that were born between the years 2000 and 2011 are predicted to develop type 2 diabetes later on in their lives.
The stark prediction has been made by some of the US’ leading researchers working for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The research team used data from the National Health Interview Survey, along with Markov chain statistical modelling, to reach their estimates.
In terms of risk by gender, the expected lifetime incidences of type 2 diabetes for children born since 2000 were similar, 40.2% for males and 39.6% for women. In terms of ethnicity, the expected incidence of diabetes for Hispanic men and women and non-Hispanic black women is predicted to rise above 50%.
Currently the prevalence of diabetes within the United States is 9.3%. In 2012, the direct and indirect cost of diabetes to the country was estimated to be $245 billion. The researchers note within the interpretations of the study that measures to reduce incidence of diabetes needs to be a high priority for the United States.
In addition to exposing how great the scale of diabetes is likely to be in the coming decades, the study shows a trend that life expectancy for people with diabetes is improving. Years lost to diabetes have come down, within a ten year period, from 7.7 to 5.8 years for men and from 8.7 to 6.8 years for women.