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About 8.3 percent of the global population—a total of 366 million people in the world—have diabetes mellitus. In the United States, about 7.8 percent suffer from diabetes, a group of chronic metabolic disorders in which a person has high blood sugar and which affect the body’s metabolism. Type 2 diabetes is recognized by clinicians as the most common form of diabetes, affecting roughly 90–95 percent of those diagnosed with the disease. Type 2 diabetes is often linked to obesity, older age, genetics, physical inactivity, and certain ethnic groups. The body’s inability to process insulin coupled with insulin resistance allow the diagnosis of this condition.

In contrast to type 1 diabetes, previously referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile diabetes, the symptoms of type 2 diabetes develop over time, and at a slow pace. Researchers and scientists are currently focusing their efforts on disease prevention and on the ways to delay the occurrence of type 2 diabetes in at-risk patients. They have come to the conclusion that the individual’s lifestyle is key in keeping these conditions at bay, and agreed on the fact that some medications or interventions can reduce the progress of the disease.

The public health toll of diabetes is constantly growing, with the current statistics and the projections of its prevalence estimated today at more than 552 million people worldwide by 2030. The costs related to diabetes and its associated complications in North America alone are assessed to be about US$223 billion. In light of this, it is essential to keep conducting clinical trials to define the potential interventions needed to prevent and treat diabetes. One can wonder if the numerous current active clinical trials and future studies will be able to enlighten researchers and clinicians on better ways to address the existing deficiencies that confront them.