The battle is all uphill. The number of Americans being diagnosed with diabetes is rising so steadily that health officials warn an epidemic is unfolding. Type II diabetes, the most common form and once typically diagnosed in later adulthood, is seen more frequently in younger adults and, alarmingly, in children. Hispanics, African-Americans and American Indians continue to be at least two times more likely to get diabetes than Caucasians, posing unique cultural challenges to prevention efforts. Though causes are still a mystery, genetic and environmental factors appear to be key.
Experts largely blame the increase on the country's growing girth.
It's a factor of weight gain. People are heavier. It's an education and awareness problem, but it's also a motivational problem. And it's not a way I want to die. Lopez is one of 1.2 million Mexican-Americans who, according to the American Diabetes Association, have the chronic illness.