The 1 Thing Increasing in All Age Groups, Genders & Races

Results of a recent survey show that half of American adults have diabetes — or blood sugar so high that they're almost diabetic.

Social and Scientific Systems and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases surveyed data of 5,000 people for their report. They found that 12 percent to 14 percent of adults had diagnosed diabetes in 2012, the latest data available. It's almost all Type 2 diabetes, which is caused by poor diet, obesity and a lack of exercise.

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While 11 percent of whites had diabetes, nearly twice as many (22 percent) of blacks did. More than 20 percent of Asians had diabetes and 22.6 percent of Hispanics did.

The numbers for undiagnosed diabetes are even more staggering.

"The proportion of diabetes that's undiagnosed is as high as 50 percent in Asian-Americans and the Hispanic population compared to about a third in whites and blacks," Cowie said.

"Diabetes prevalence significantly increased over time in every age group, in both sexes, in every racial/ethnic group, by all education levels, and in all poverty income (groups)," the team wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The report also concluded that the disease cost the country an estimated $245 billion in 2012 due to increased use of health resources and lost productivity.