Type 2 diabetes increased by nearly 20% in the United States over the past 10 years Age, income level and race all played a factor in risk The South and Midwest saw the highest increases THURSDAY, Aug. 21, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Type 2 diabetes increased by nearly 20% in the United States between 2012 and 2022, with age, race, income level, obesity and lack of exercise all playing a role in the metabolic disease’s spread, a new study reports. “Diabetes is increasing day by day in the U.
S., and it will increase even more in the coming years,” said lead researcher Sulakshan Neupane , a doctoral student with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “Diabetes costs around $412 billion, including medical costs and indirect costs like loss of productivity,” Neupane added in a university news release.
“That’s a huge amount, and it’s only going to increase as more people are diagnosed.” Age is a major factor, with middle-aged people and seniors carrying a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes, researchers found. Seniors aged 65 and older were more than 10 times as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes as people ages 18 to 24, results show.
Middle-aged folks 45 to 64 were more than five times as likely to get such a diagnosis. Income and education also played a role. People with high incomes were 41% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, and the college-educated were 24% less likely.
Black people were the racial and ethnic grou.