Diabetes Statistics

The following is a summary of the key points from the author's market needs analysis that, in some cases, surprised him, and finally convinced him to write the book Death to Diabetes.

Statistics:

• There are more than 28 million people in the United States and 210 million people worldwide with diabetes (95% Type 2).
• Every hour more than 2,000 people are diagnosed as a diabetic in the United States.
• The number of people worldwide with diabetes is expected to rise to 366 millionby 2030 – more than doubling in just 25 years. What is more disturbing is that the increase is based on obesity rates remaining stable. Unfortunately, obesity rates continue to rise.
• There are more than 41 million Americans with Metabolic Syndrome X, a strong pre-cursor to becoming diabetic. Metabolic Syndrome X is characterized by a combination of indicators including obesity, high insulin levels, internal inflammation, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and fatigue.

Additional Facts:
The following are additional facts that further convinced the author to write the book.

• Diabetes continues to grow at epidemic levels as it affects more children and kills more people each year than AIDS and breast cancer combined. The average life span of a diabetic is shortened by 13.5 years and costs more than $250,000 per family over 20 years.
• Average annual medical costs for a diabetic is $13,243 versus $2,560 for a non-diabetic, a difference of more than $10,000 a year.
• More than 50 million Americans with high blood pressure and 150 million being overweight/obese provide a strong feeder base for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis.
• “Diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States, and it has no cure. The total annual economic cost of diabetes in 2002 was estimated to be $132 billion, or one out of every 10 health care dollars spent in the United States.” American Diabetes Association
• At least 13% of African-Americans have diabetes and African-Americans are twice as likely to develop the disease. This is due to African-Americans being more likely to have one or more of the following risk factors: high blood pressure, overweight/obesity, high cholesterol, poor nutrition, a sedentary lifestyle, and economic/ environmental impacts due to societal biases.
• “Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people ages 20-74. Each year, from 12,000 to 24,000 people lose their sight because of diabetes.” American Diabetes Association
• More than 4 out of every 5 diabetics will develop one or more of the followingcomplications: kidney disease (nephropathy), eye disease (retinopathy), nerve disease (neuropathy), or heart disease (cardio-vascular disease).
• Two out of every 3 diabetics will die of a heart attack or stroke.
• According to a study by the Yale University School of Medicine, more than one fifth of the patients with Type 2 diabetes have decreased blood flow to the heart, but no symptoms to suggest there is a problem. Known as myocardial ischemia, this condition occurs when the heart does not receive enough blood to meet its metabolic needs, usually due to plaque build-up in the coronary arteries.
• “Heart disease strikes people with diabetes, twice as often as people without diabetes.” American Heart Association
• “Heart disease, not breast cancer, is the number killer of women in the United States.” American Heart Association
• Diabetes treatment costs more than any other disease (over $132 billion annually), but diabetes treatment also generates the most revenue for the healthcare industry (over $210 billion annually!). Is this a conflict of interest for an industry that is more focused on a “sick” care strategy that creates drug-dependent patients – instead of a “health” care strategy that cures the actual ailment or disease?
• “Doctors must shift their focus from treating disease alone to tailoring treatments to individual patient needs.”  American Journal of Medicine Feb 2004

General Information:

• There are millions of non-diabetic people who struggle with similar health issues that diabetics struggle with, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fatigue, obesity, kidney problems, and cardiovascular problems. Consequently, non-diabetics have some of the same needs for health-related and nutrition-related information.
• Many diabetics have tried to change their eating and exercise habits, but with little success due to misinformation about nutrition, exercise and blood glucose testing.
• The majority of diabetics have resigned themselves to taking some type of drug to control their diabetes -- even though they would prefer to not have to take drugs.
• There were some diabetics who believed that they were doing well by taking drugs to control their blood sugar. They were either unaware or didn’t care about the long term effects of the drugs.
• There were some diabetics who were comfortable living with the disease instead of determining how to live without the disease – because they were unaware of better options to fight the disease.
• Most diabetics were doing something wrong in at least 6 of the 8 areas associated with diabetes management and blood glucose control, namely: nutrition, exercise, blood glucose testing, drug therapy, education, doctor visits, spiritual health, and record-keeping. And, in many cases, the diabetic or the healthcare person didn’t know they were doing anything wrong in those areas!
• There is no book that addressed how to control and reverse diabetes in measurable terms that the average person could track on their own. There was no book that could answer my basic questions about the disease and its root causes. During the author's recovery he referred to several books and websites, many of which were out-of-date, had vague information or conflicted with each other.
• The author's daughter felt that people would learn a lot more if what he presented were written down – so that people would not have to take so many notes.
• After several presentations, people kept inquiring if the author had written a book. They felt that he had a powerful message that needed to be shared on a larger platform. 
• The author's mother kept meeting people who would ask her how she lost weight, lowered her cholesterol and remained so active at her age.
• The blood glucose levels of most diabetics returned to normal when they implemented some of my nutritional principles. Non-diabetics also experienced positive results.
• Although people are living longer, they are not necessarily living healthier. More people are relying on drugs, ending up in hospitals; living in pain; and, dying of diseases due to the lack of knowledge and poor lifestyle choices.
• Many people do not have a personal computer and access to the health-related information on the Internet. They need a hardcopy book that provides that information.

Key Point: Type 2 diabetes (including insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction) can be prevented and even reversed with a superior nutritional protocol, consistent exercise, and other lifestyle changes.

Note: For more information about the science of Type 2 diabetes, go to the following links:
-- The Pathophysiology
-- The Pathogenesis
-- The Epidemiology
-- The Etiology
-- Overview of Diabetes

Note: Go to the following web pages for more information about the dangers of prescription drugs:

• Drugs for high blood pressure
• Drugs for high cholesterol
• Drugs for high blood sugar (diabetes)
• Drug companies
• Drugs (general information)

References:www.nlm.nih.gov
www.fda.gov
www.webmd.com
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/