Diabetes in US Nearly Doubles in 10 Years

A million new cases reported a year

(NEWSER) - America is facing a diabetes epidemic—a health disaster more economically catastrophic than a Hurricane Katrina each year, USA Today reports. The disease killed 284,000 people last year, and a staggering million new cases are diagnosed each year as more Americans become morbidly obese, according to a new study by the American Diabetes Association. More»

(NEWSER) - The American South is the most obese region in the country because of a “perfect storm” of factors, Claire Suddath writes for Time. Mississippi, whose 33% adult obesity rate makes it the fattest state, is also the poorest, with 21% of people living under the poverty line. That means less money for healthy food, and fewer places to get it. But other poor states are relatively thin—what accounts for the disparity? More»

Big increase of disease linked to obesity has 8% of US suffering, feds report

(NEWSER) - Almost 8% of the US population has diabetes, the government reported today. About 24 million Americans suffer from type-1 or -2 diabetes, an increase of 3 million since 2005, Reuters notes. Another 57 million Americans are pre-diabetic, a condition of insulin insensitivity that predisposes them to type-2 diabetes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. More»

In H1N1 patients, fat had same effects as diabetes, heart disease

(NEWSER) - Scientists at the CDC have noticed a new trend in cases of swine flu: "We were surprised by the frequency of obesity among the severe cases that we've been tracking," says an epidemiologist, adding that it might be cause to make obese people a priority for a vaccine, if it becomes available. Other pre-existing conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, are known to raise the risk of flu complications, but this one has doctors a bit surprised. More»

Burlington, Vt., tops list due to active citizens; Huntington, W.Va., is unhealthiest

(NEWSER) - Burlington, Vt., is America's healthiest city, with 92% of residents reporting that they're in good or great health. A number of factors account for the gap between Burlington and Huntington, W.Va., which brought up the rear in the CDC's healthy-city rankings, the AP reports. Burlington's residents are younger on average, but more important is the fact that they get more exercise. More»