Diabetes is becoming more and more common! A survey released by the New York City Department of Health on August 1 reported that on average, one in nine people in New York City has diabetes, and one person dies every 90 minutes from a diabetes-related illness! According to this year’s American Diabetes Association ADA study, nearly 2,600 million Americans have diabetes, 90-95 percent of whom have type 2 diabetes (T2DM), resulting in a total economic cost of $245 billion last year, including $176 billion in direct medical expenditures and $69 billion in lost productivity. This resulted in a total economic cost of $245 billion last year, including $176 billion in direct medical spending and $69 billion in lost productivity. As the number of people with diabetes continues to grow, so does the cost of health care. A recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine focused on the direct medical costs of lifelong treatment of T2DM. According to the study, a male patient diagnosed with T2DM at age 25-44 will spend an average of $124,700, while a female patient will spend an average of $130,800! These expenses include the cost of medications, insulin, tests, visits and treatment of complications such as stroke, coronary artery disease, etc. For China, where access to medical care is already a problem, the number of people with T2DM is increasing every year, and the total cost per capita and in total is bound to be a significant amount.