By the Year 2050, More Than 1 Billion People Will Have Diabetes

IN UNDER 3 DECADES, MORE THAN 1 BILLION PEOPLE WILL HAVE ONE FORM OF DIABETES OR THE OTHER

Diabetes is a fairly frightening condition, which can cause serious health complications and, in severe cases, can be fatal. Currently, roughly 500 million people across the world live with diabetes. What is diabetes? Put simply, it means someone has chronically high levels of blood sugar. This happens when there is a breakdown in a person’s production of, or response to, insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps move sugar from our bloodstream to our cells. Managing diabetes takes constant vigilance for people to have normal lives and to remain healthy. Now, there’s news that by the year 2050, the number of people with diabetes will double, to 1 billion.

BY THE YEAR 2050, 6.1% OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION WILL HAVE DIABETES, MOST OF THEM TYPE 2

There are two kinds of diabetes. Type 1 is when a person’s overzealous immune system attacks the cells that make insulin. Type 2 diabetes is when a person’s system becomes resistant to insulin’s effects, and may even stop producing it entirely. Currently, people with either type make up about 6.1% of the world’s population. That’s just over 1 in every 20 people. Yet projections indicate that in 2050, the rates will be especially high in North Africa and the Middle East, at 16.8%. These numbers indicate a massive, obvious jump in the incidence of diabetes worldwide.

Belarus Offers Nuclear Weapons to Anyone Who Helps Russia

DIABETES USED TO BE A DEATH SENTENCE, BUT DOUBLING THE AFFLICTED POPULATION IS CAUSE FOR CONCERN

But diabetes used to be a death sentence, essentially. While that’s no longer the case, it still greatly increases the risk for ischemic heart disease and stroke. But also worth noting is that in the year 2050, over 95% of diabetic cases will be Type 2. And that projection is based on a connection to a high body mass index. In other words, people who carry significant weight will make up a majority of the diabetic population. So a great deal of preparation is needed to prepare a population that will need to focus on exercise, a good diet, and genetic inclination.

These findings came from scientists at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). The data they used came from the Global Burden of Diseases study.