Study: Type 2 Diabetes Is Rapidly Affecting Younger People Worldwide, Especially Women

In the United Kingdom, the sharpest increase in new cases of type 2 diabetes has been recorded among women under the age of 40, according to a study by Imperial College London. A similar trend is being observed in Germany.

“It is essentially already a pandemic. In Germany, we are also seeing an increase in the number of children and adolescents being diagnosed with the disease,” said Baptist Gallwitz, a representative of the German Diabetes Association (DDG).

Although genetic predisposition plays a role in the development of type 2 diabetes, lifestyle remains one of the main contributing factors, DW reports. According to Gallwitz, rising rates of physical inactivity, high consumption of sugar and calories, and increasing obesity are contributing to the growing prevalence of the disease.

The actual number of women living with type 2 diabetes may be considerably higher than official statistics suggest. German researchers have found that commonly used diagnostic tests may fail to detect the disease early enough in women because they do not fully account for sex-specific differences.

According to the researchers, men are generally diagnosed at a younger age. By the time type 2 diabetes is detected in women, they are more likely to have obesity and high blood pressure—conditions that further increase their risk of stroke and heart attack.

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