Diabetes: the EU’s heavy burden

An estimated 32 million people in the European Union (8.1%) were living with diabetes in 2013. Although policymakers were paying special attention to the issue and to obesity-related conditions more generally, health experts said more can be done to tackle what the EU considers as a chronic disease.

Diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin, due to insufficient pancreatic production or high blood sugar levels. It can also develop from insulin resistance, a case where the pancreas produces insulin that is rejected by the body.