News and Events

2020 Diabetes Statistics Report

The CDC/Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) has released the National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2020, which provides the state of diabetes in the United States through analyses of the most recent health data on diabetes and related complications. 

Main Findings

• Currently 34.2 million Americans (1 in 10) have diabetes and 88 million American adults (1 in 3) have prediabetes.
• 1.5 million American adults 18 years or older were newly diagnosed with diabetes.
• Incidence of type 1 and type 2 has significantly increased in American children and adolescents younger than 20 years old.

Read the National Diabetes Statistics Report 2020 here.

National Diabetes Alert Day

March 24, 2020, is National Diabetes Alert Day. We encourage you to find out it you, or someone you love, is at risk for type 2 diabetes by taking this free, quick and simple Diabetes Risk Test.

American Diabetes Month

November is American Diabetes Month, and it's an ideal time for you to find out all the facts about diabetes. Are you are risk? Are you Type 1 or Type 2? No mater where you are in your fight you are at the right place to get more information.

Know the facts! There are many myths surrounding diabetes. Download the Sugar Shock Facts Flyer.

• Myth: Only overweight people get diabetes. Fact: Yes, thin people get diabetes. No matter how thin you are, you can still get diabetes. Diabetes isn't related to how you look, it comes from insulin resistance, which causes high blood sugar. Right now, 30 million people in the U.S. have diabetes. Of that, 12% of people with diabetes are "normal weight"
• Myth: No one in my family has diabetes so I will not get it. Fact: Diabetes is not always genetic. Even if no one in your family has diabetes, you can still get it. Genes don't determine for sure, whether or not you will get diabetes; they only influence the likelihood. In type 2, for example, lifestyle factors appear to be more influential than genetics.
• Myth: Eating sugar causes diabetes. Fact: Sugar doesn't cause diabetes. Consuming too much sugar can make people put on weight which can make a person's chance of getting diabetes greater. The key is moderation and management. Talk to your doctor and make a plan together.
• Myth: All people with diabetes have to take insulin shots. Fact: Not all people with diabetes need insulin. If you have type 2, which includes 90%-95% of all people with diabetes, you may not need insulin. Of adults with diabetes, only 14% use insulin, 13% use insulin and oral medication, 57% take oral medication only, and 16% control blood sugar with diet and excercise alone.

Do you want to learn more about education and support classes? A diabetes self-management class may be for you. To find a program near you: DSME Programs in Alabama. Do you have prediabetes? The CDC's National Diabetes Prevention Program is a lifestyle change program for preventing type 2 diabetes.

Stay on TRACK to prevent blindness from diabetes. Join the National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) of the National Eye Institute (NEI) during National Diabetes Month in November to increase awareness about diabetic eye disease.

Have you gotten your flu shot? People with diabetes (type 1 and 2) are at high risk of serious flu complications. The CDC recommends that people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, who are 6 months and older, get a flu vaccine.

Visit Media and Related Links for a variety of resources on preventing and managing diabetes.

Page last updated: March 9, 2020