Diabetes cases double to 347 million worldwide

The figure of adults with diabetes has risen to 347 million worldwide, which is more than doubled in the past three decades, according to a study published in the British journal Lancet. The study, which analyzed data compiled from 2.7 million participants aged 25 and over from across the world, shows approximately 138 million in China have diabetes, and 36 million in the United States. Among high-income countries, diabetes rates were the highest in the U.S., Greenland, Malta, New Zealand, and Spain. The Netherlands, Austria, and France boasted the lowest rates, suggested the study published online by The Lancet journal on June 25. Majid Ezzati, a lead author of the study, said on Reuters: “Diabetes is becoming more common almost everywhere in the world.” Danaei added: “Unless we develop better programs for detecting people with elevated blood sugar and helping them to improve their diet and physical activity and control their weight, diabetes will inevitably continue to impose a major burden on health systems around the world.”