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Nov 27, 2009 8:34 pm US/Eastern
Study: Diabetes Cases To Double Over Next 15 Years
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
A new study suggests the number of Americans with diabetes is expected to double over the next two decades.
And with the holiday season here, packing on the pounds during feasting is a trend that is concerning to doctors and diabetes advocacy groups.
"It could be they're bringing it up because it is Thanksgiving and it's a food-centered holiday," said Dr. Patricia Bononi, of the Joslin Diabetes Center.
Over the next 15 years, the number of Americans with diabetes is expected to nearly double from 24 million to 44 million.
"We're all getting more overweight and more obese in the United States," said Dr. Bononi. "We're getting older and more sedentary, and those three things lead to the increasing incidence of diabetes."
Also, spending on diabetes is expected to go up from $113 billion to $336 billion.
"They also get other problems," added Dr. Bononi. "Heart disease, which requires its own testing and expense, and there are indirect expenses such as loss of work and wages. So it can be very expensive."
The American Diabetes Association expects the growing costs to strain the health care system.
"It's very concerning especially in terms of health care dollars," she said. "If it starts younger, we're going to have a lot of expense and a lot of chronic illness to deal with."
Risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes include obesity, lack of exercise, poor diet habits and genetics.
Making time for 30 minutes of exercise a day and losing 10 percent of your body weight can go a long way in reducing risk for the disease.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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