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Gabrielle Hungate a recent ASU Nutrition Student

For the last 20 years, Diabetes cases have been on the rise in staggering numbers. From 1990 to 2009, it was at a peak. Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose or blood sugar is too high. This is your main source of energy and comes from the food that we intake in our bodies. Diabetes occurs when your body makes too much or not enough insulin, which is a hormone made by your pancreas.

When Type 2 Diabetes hits, this can cause an array of health problems and complications such as stroke, kidney issues, eye problems, dental issues, nerve damage and foot problems. Type 2 Diabetes is mainly caused by a diet heavy in unhealthy carbohydrates and sugar, as well as obesity.

Over the last decade, there has a drop or a decreasing trend of adults that are being diagnosed with Diabetes. Currently, we are at 8.2 per 1000 adults are being diagnosed which is a drop from 12% in the previous decade. In 2018, there 1.5 million new cases reported which equates to 6.9 per 1000 people ages 18-44. Rates were higher at ages 45 to 65(1).

The CDC states that the reason for this plateau and decrease are not clear (2). Looking at the country as a whole, you can almost speculate why this may be happening and continuing to happen. Over the last ten years, much of the population is feeling a shift with healthier options. Healthy eating overtaking the internet and the holistic population is growing. Restaurants are offering healthier options and even fast food places are trying.  Diets such as plant-based, Mediterranean and Paleo are taking the world by storm.

If this trend continues to grow, we will slowly be getting better as a society and these numbers could slowly start to drop. Another big factor that may not be taking into consideration is the drop in adult smoking. Smoking is a major factor in Type 2 Diabetes. With drop-in smokers, this is a decrease in risk factors.

Even though there has been a plateau and has remained stable over the last 8 years (2), we are still far from where we need to be. Approximately 34.1 million adults are still diagnosed each year, so there is much work to be done on dropping those numbers (1). There are many things that can be done regarding this illness. More education from doctors to a patient would be very helpful to help educate individuals with Diabetes on the right kind of diet for their body. Support groups would assist patients are their journey to keep them on track and therapists can also help this process.

Overall, we are going in the right in direction, but we need to continue to see more drops in this

illness so that people are living longer and suffering less.

For more informative articles check out the Fill Your Plate blog. Or if you’re looking for some recipes your picky eater might enjoy, check out the Fill your Plate recipe section.

1. CDC: 13% of US adults have diabetes, with fewer new cases. (2020, February 25). Retrieved from https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes/news/online/{642bdbca-9d5e-4022-9c99-5e5fdb88c555}/cdc-13-of-us-adults-have-diabetes-with-fewer-new-cases
2. After 20-year increase, New Diabetes Cases Decline. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/p0529-diabetes-cases-decline.html