Number of People Living With Diabetes Quadruples

The number of people living with diabetes has almost quadrupled since 1980, to 422 million adults, according to a new World Health Organization study.

The organization says that obesity is one of the driving factors.

In its first “Global report on diabetes”, WHO highlights the need to step up prevention and treatment of the disease.

Measures needed include expanding health-promoting environments to reduce diabetes risk factors, like physical inactivity and unhealthy diets, and strengthening national capacities to help people with diabetes receive the treatment and care they need to manage their conditions, according to the report.

“Even in the poorest settings, governments must ensure that people are able to make these healthy choices and that health systems are able to diagnose and treat people with diabetes," said Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, in a press release.