Up to one in three Americans will be diabetic by 2050, according to the Center for Disease Control, an almost 300 percent increase from 2007 numbers. About a fourth of diabetic Americans don't even know they have the disease, which is the leading cause of kidney failure, foot amputations and blindness in people younger than 75.
More facts about diabetes:
- In the United States, the states with the lowest instances of diabetes are Colorado, Wyoming and Minnesota. The states with the highest rates of diabetes are Alabama and Mississippi.
- Globally, almost 300 million people are diabetic. The World Diabetes Foundation predicts that number to increase to more than 500 million by 2030. The vast majority — about 70 percent — of diabetics live in middle- or low-income countries.
- India tops the list when it comes to countries with diabetes sufferers, with more than 50 million diabetics. China comes in second with more than 43 million diabetes sufferers, followed by the U.S., which has about 24 million diabetics.