A study looking at current diabetes rates in the US has shown that the proportion of people with diabetes that have type 2 is above 90 per cent.

The University of Iowa has found that of those who have diabetes mellitus (diabetes resulting in high blood sugar), 91.2 per cent have type 2 diabetes, 5.6 per cent have type 1 diabetes with the remainder making up a number of other types of diabetes.

According to the American Diabetes Association there are 30 million people in the country who have diabetes and 1.5 million are newly diagnosed each year.

Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed when a person develops insulin resistance and is unable to produce sufficient insulin to keep blood sugar well controlled.

Study lead author Wei Bao, assistant professor of epidemiology in the College of Public Health, said the study was carried out to gain further insight into how many people across the country have diabetes in a bid to determine new treatment pathways.

He said: “These two types of diabetes differ not only by their causes, but also by their clinical manifestations and treatment strategies.

“Type 2 diabetes can be prevented through lifestyle changes, but so far, there is no established method for preventing type 1 diabetes.”

Treatments for both conditions have come a long way. Recent advances in insulin pump technology and continuous glucose monitoring has greatly improved diabetes management allowing people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes to have longer, healthier lives.

Meanwhile, greater knowledge of lifestyle factors has allowed people with type 2 diabetes to improve their health and many people are finding they can come off some of their medication thanks to improvements in their condition.

Indeed, our own Low Carb Program has shown that people who complete the program can achieve strong improvements in blood glucose levels and some have achieved remission of type 2 diabetes. Remission means that they have been able to achieve non-diabetic HbA1c levels without needing to take diabetes medication.

The study has been published in the British Medical Journal.