Diabetes could affect one in three Dutch people

A third of Dutch will get type 2 diabetes at some stage in their life. Almost half of the Dutch population will suffer from the preliminary phase of the disease, so-called pre-diabetes. One in eleven will have to use insulin. This is according to a large-scale study done by scientists at Erasmus MC, NOS reports. These researchers tracked the health of 10 thousand people age 45 and older in the Rotterdam district Ommoord for 14 years, with the help of Rotterdam Study. According to lead researcher, Symen Ligthart, epidemiologist at Erasmus MC, the population in the Rotterdam district is representative of the Dutch population. A similar study done in the United States had similar results. At the start of the study, all participants had no signs of diabetes or pre-diabetes. Fourteen years later, 828 people now have type 2 diabetes, also known as adult onset diabetes. 237 of them have to use insulin. And 1,148 participants show sings of pre-diabetes. Based on these findings the researchers calculated that a 45 year old has a 31 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes, nearly one in three. There is a 9 percent chance of needing insulin. And a 48 percent chance of getting pre-diabetes. "If you do the same study for the entire population, including people under the age of 45, then the chance of ever developing diabetes in your life may increase two to three percent", Ligthart said, according to the broadcaster. The researchers believe that this study emphasizes the importance of starting prevention at a young age. A healthy diet and getting enough exercise can reduce the risk of getting diabetes. Both type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes lead to an increased risk of, among other things, cardiovascular disease, eye problems and kidney disease. About 90 percent of all diabetes cases involve type 2 diabetes. The disease mainly affects older people, but an increasing number of young people are being diagnosed with it. Type 2 diabetes is caused by genetic predisposition, unhealthy diet and unhealthy lifestyle. A year ago Statistics Netherlands reported a spike in type 2 diabetes diagnosis. At the time 3.8 percent of the Dutch population had the disease.