A new study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported new cases of diabetes in the United States have doubled over the past 10 years. This trend is made worse by the high rates of obesity and inactivity among individuals living in the South.
 
The United States rate of diabetes increased to 9.1 cases for every 1,000 people in 2005-2007 from 4.8 in 1995-1997 according to the study. States with the highest rates were mostly in the South: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Minnesota had the fewest cases, with five of every 1,000 people, and West Virginia had the most, with 13.

This article originally appeared in the December 2008 issue of Kidney Beginnings: The Electronic Newsletter.