ATLANTA, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- If current trends continue, as many as 1 in 3 U.S. adults could have diabetes by 2050, a report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say.
An analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta says one in 10 U.S. adults has diabetes today, but it is expected to rise sharply over the next 40 years due to an aging population, increases in minority groups that are at high risk for type 2 diabetes and people with diabetes living longer.
"These are alarming numbers that show how critical it is to change the course of type 2 diabetes," Ann Albright, director of the CDC's division of diabetes translation, says in a statement.
"Successful programs to improve lifestyle choices on healthy eating and physical activity must be made more widely available, because the stakes are too high and the personal toll too devastating to fail."
However, via proper diet and physical activity the risk of diabetes can be reduced, the report says.
Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include: age, obesity, family history, having diabetes while pregnant, a sedentary lifestyle and race/ethnicity. Those at higher risk for the disease are African-Americans, Hispanics, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and some Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, the report says.
