File photo of a diabetes patient monitoring his blood glucose. (credit: ELMER MARTINEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Reporting Veronica Harrell
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ATLANTA (WAOK) - A new study shows a rapid rise in the number of diabetes cases in the U.S., especially in the South and in Appalachian states.
The study released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the number of diagnosed cases of diabetes between 1995 and 2010 rose by more than 50 percent or more in 42 states, and by 100 percent or more in 18 states.
The state with the largest increase over the 16-year period was Oklahoma, which was up 226 percent.
That was followed by Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Washington and West Virginia which were all up more than 130 percent.
Type 2 diabetes, which can be prevented through lifestyle changes and diet, makes up 90 to 95 percent of all cases in the United States, according to the CDC.
