New Study Suggests that One-Third of American Adults are Diabetic or Pre-Diabetic

Catherine Cowie, director of the diabetes epidemiology program at the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, released new research that suggests one-third of U.S. adults are either diabetic or pre-diabetic.

The researchers note that about 95 percent of all cases of diabetes in the United States fall under the category of type 2 disease — a gradual loss of insulin production and sensitivity that’s usually linked to overweight and obesity…

…There is a huge portion of the population who don’t know they have diabetes or who are at risk for diabetes, Cowie said.

“We aren’t doing a good enough job of diagnosing these one-in-three people who don’t know they have diabetes as well as people who have pre-diabetes,” Cowie said. “We really need to be a better job of convincing people that should be adopting healthy behaviors that will prevent these conditions.”

One expert thinks that the number of undiagnosed diabetics and pre-diabetics may be underestimated.

Read full story: One-Third of U.S. Adults Diabetic or Pre-Diabetic