The number of people with diabetes is set to more than double to 1.3 billion by 2050 as more people are classed as obese, according to new research.
Unhealthy lifestyles and habits are fuelling a global health crisis with men, women and children of all ages in every country being impacted. Not receiving treatment for Type 2 Diabetes swiftly, and therefore not keeping blood sugar levels in target ranges can have devastating consequences.
The metabolic disorder triples the risk of a heart attack and leaves patients 20 times more likely to have to undergo a leg amputation. Complications can also lead to stroke, kidney failure, blindness nerve damage and complications during pregnancy.
Lead author Dr Liane Ong, from the University of Washington, Seattle, said: "The rapid rate at which diabetes is growing is not only alarming but also challenging for every health system in the world, especially given how the disease also increases the risk for ischaemic heart disease and stroke."
Currently, there are more than half a billion people in the world with diabetes - of this, 96 per cent of them have Type 2 Diabetes which is commonly linked to age and obesity. That's a fivefold increase since 1980, when there were around 108 million people living with the condition.
It's now listed as one of the top ten killers. The main risk factor has been identified as high BMI (body mass index) - accounting for more than half (52 per cent) of death and disability.
There are other risk factors, too. These include poor diet, environmental and occupational risks, smoking, low physical activity and alcohol use. Fine particles from air pollution are also thought to trigger the condition by getting into the bloodstream.
Dr Ong explained: "While the general public might believe Type 2 Diabetes is simply associated with obesity, lack of exercise, and a poor diet, preventing and controlling it is quite complex due to a number of factors.
"That includes someone's genetics, as well as logistical, social, and financial barriers within a country's structural system, especially in low and middle income countries."
As waistlines have expanded, with one in three people now registering as overweight, so too has the number of Type 2 Diabetes cases. The Global Burden of Disease study found prevalence is more than six per cent.
Data from 204 countries and territories by age and sex between 1990 and 2021 enabled the international team to calculate rates up to 2050. Most vulnerable are over 65s with more than one in five in every region developing the condition - rising to nearly a quarter among 75 to 79 year olds.
Co-author Dr Lauryn Stafford, also from Washington, said: "Some people might be quick to focus on one or a few risk factors, but that approach doesn't take into account the conditions in which people are born and live that create disparities worldwide.
"Those inequities ultimately impact people's access to screening and treatment and the availability of health services. That is precisely why we need a more complete picture of how diabetes has been impacting populations at a granular level."
Around five million people in the UK have diabetes - with 90 per cent of those being Type 2 Diabetes. In the US, more than 34 million people are affected by the condition, which obesity raises the risk of sixfold.
