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Nutrition & Product Information
Diabetes Mellitus & Dairy Food Consumption
Prevalence of Diabetes
One in fourteen Americans has diabetes and this population is growing. Diabetes prevalence has increased by 42% in the lastdecade. There are many reasons for this. With better care andmanagement of the disease, people are living longer with abetter quality of life than was possible 50 years ago. The growing prevalence of diabetes is also due to earlier diagnosis and to the fact that as the population with diabetes grows and reproduces, the genetic traits carried by these people are passed on to their progeny. In addition, some of the cases of diabetes are a companion to obesity. In some instances the obesity precedes the diabetes, and in some the two conditions develop simultaneously. Obesity is also growing in the UnitedStates. The prevalence (%) of diabetes in adults as a percent of the total population is shown in Figure 1. (1) The rise in thenumber of people (x's 1000) with diabetes is shown in Table 1. (2)
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Table 1.
Number* of Persons with Diagnosed Diabetes, byAge, United States, 1980-1996 |
| Age Group |
| Year |
0-44 |
45-64 |
65-74 |
75+ |
Total |
|
| 1980 |
974 |
2465 |
1430 |
893 |
5762 |
| 1981 |
979 |
2493 |
1464 |
871 |
5807 |
| 1982 |
978 |
2558 |
1395 |
875 |
5805 |
| 1983 |
989 |
2496 |
1523 |
919 |
5928 |
| 1984 |
1006 |
2417 |
1623 |
1022 |
6068 |
| 1985 |
1018 |
2491 |
1713 |
1160 |
6382 |
| 1986 |
1143 |
2549 |
1697 |
1187 |
6576 |
| 1987 |
1162 |
2583 |
1647 |
1182 |
6574 |
| 1988 |
1223 |
2542 |
1651 |
1122 |
6538 |
| 1989 |
1139 |
2466 |
1708 |
1072 |
6386 |
| 1990 |
1281 |
2537 |
1776 |
1119 |
6713 |
| 1991 |
1309 |
2535 |
1940 |
1248 |
7032 |
| 1992 |
1440 |
2806 |
1953 |
1401 |
7599 |
| 1993 |
1404 |
2975 |
1965 |
1461 |
7805 |
| 1994 |
1440 |
3189 |
2078 |
1564 |
8270 |
| 1995 |
1383 |
3210 |
2086 |
1567 |
8246 |
| 1996 |
1371 |
3272 |
2181 |
1656 |
8479 |
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*Number in thousands, three year moving average
Source: CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
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As previously mentioned, diabetes and obesity are frequently found in the same individual. Shown in Figure 2 are trends in the percent of adolescents and adults in the United States who are overweight. Two time periods are shown: 1976-80 and 1988-91. As can be seen, the number of individuals who are overweight is rising. More recent observations show even higher percentages — however these are not yet confirmed.
10,240,000 Americans have physician-diagnosed diabetes. The American Diabetes Association estimates that at least that many people have the disease but are undiagnosed. (3) Approximately 798,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Death due to diabetes ranks seventh in the top ten causes of death in the United States. Diabetes as a contributory cause of death is rising. Diabetes death rates were 24.2/100,000 population for white males, 47.0 for black males, 19.5 for white females and 48.8/100,000 for black females. Two thirds of people with diabetes die of some form of vascular disease. Within the population there are groups that have an even higher prevalence rate of diabetes. The Pima Indians in Arizona have a prevalence of 60% of the adult population. Hispanic Americans aged 50 years or older have a prevalence of 25-30%. Diabetes is two to three times more common in Mexican American and Puerto Rican adults as in non-Hispanic Caucasian adults. (4)
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