As of the end of year 2000, according to the World Health Organization, at least 171 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes, or 2.8% of the population. For at least 20 years, diabetes rates in North America have been increasing rapidly. In 2010 nearly twenty six million people have diabetes in the United States alone, and seven million people remain undiagnosed. Another fifty seven million people are estimated to have pre-diabetes. Diabetes mellitus occurs throughout the world, but is more common in the more developed countries.
