(NaturalNews) A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals a shocking fact about the current state of public health in the U.S.: nearly 10 percent of Americans now have diabetes. Roughly 30 million people, it turns out -- 8 million-or-so of whom have yet to be diagnosed -- currently suffer from some form of the disease, says the agency, and the bulk of these folks are 20 years of age or older.

The same report estimates that another 86 million adults living in the U.S. currently have prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than they should be, but not quite in the diabetic range. This means that more than one-third of America is currently, or soon to be, suffering from a condition of metabolic syndrome that may eventually lead to heart disease and early death.

"These new numbers are alarming and underscore the need for an increased focus on reducing the burden of diabetes in our country," said Dr. Ann Albright, Ph.D., R.D., director of the CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation. "Diabetes is costly in both human and economic terms. It's urgent that we take swift action to effectively treat and prevent this serious disease."

Other key findings from the report include the 1.7 million people 20 years of age or older who were diagnosed with diabetes just in 2012. Similarly, about 208,000 individuals younger than 20 years of age were also diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, according to the report.

Medical costs associated with diabetes nearly one-quarter of a trillion dollars annually

Managing diabetes the conventional way is expensive, and it almost always leads to other health problems that cost even more money. According to the CDC, diabetes and its related complications, which include stroke and heart disease, kidney failure, high blood pressure and more, accounted for $245 billion in total medical costs and lost work and wages in 2012.

This is up from $174 billion in 2007, illustrating how this growing epidemic stands to bankrupt the country. Many of the people who suffer from diabetes will need lifelong care if they fail to make the appropriate diet and lifestyle changes now, which is sure to constitute many of them. And the CDC is not much help in this area, as its preventive guidelines fail to offer sound advice.

"Patients should meet with a professional dietitian to plan an individualized diet within the general guidelines that takes into consideration their own health needs," says the University of Maryland Medical Center. "For example, a patient with type 2 diabetes who is overweight and insulin-resistant may need to have a different carbohydrate-protein balance than a thin patient with type 1 diabetes in danger of kidney disease."

Helpful tips for preventing or overcoming type 2 diabetes

Natural News' own Mike Adams has also put together a helpful resource for overcoming diabetes that involves eliminating all refined sugars, supplementing regularly with healing "superfoods," exercising daily, getting plenty of vitamin D from the sun and avoiding all processed foods. You can access that resource here:
NaturalNews.com.

Since there are now some schools of thought that see type 2 diabetes as an autoimmune problem rather than just a metabolic disorder, following an autoimmune diet and treatment protocol may also be beneficial. The Independent Cancer Research Foundation, Inc., has some additional helpful information about dealing with type 2 diabetes that you can access here:
CancerTutor.com.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.cdc.gov

http://www.cdc.gov

http://www.nbcnews.com

http://www.ajc.com

http://www.latimes.com

http://umm.edu

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.cancertutor.com

http://science.naturalnews.com