Diabetes is an Epidemic in the United States.

Diabetes is becoming more common in the United States.

• From 1980 through 2002, the number of Americans with diabetes more than doubled (from 5.8 million to 13.3 million).
• From 1990 to 1999, the percentage of diabetes in the U.S. population rose from 4.9% to 6.9%.

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) the greatest increase in obesity and lack of physical activity occurred in people in their 30's, so therefore it is not surprising to find a 70% increase in just 8 years. We are now beginning to see the consequences of physical inactivity and weight gain that go well beyond feeling good about yourself or cosmetic issues.
Approximately 17,000,000 Americans have diabetes. This equates to 6.9% of the population. At the current rate of increase, there will be about one million new cases per year.
The really frightening part of this is that this is probably an "under estimation" because it is not uncommon for diabetes to go undetected for as long as 12 years before being properly diagnosed, and that is assuming that it will be caught at all. This is the true danger of Syndrome X / Metabolic Syndrome.