LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS — A recent study found a correlation between rising temperatures and an increase in cases of diabetes in the U.S. <br /> <br />Researchers from Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands published the study in the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care on Monday. <br /> <br />The study examined data from type 2 diabetes cases in the U.S. between 1996 to 2009. It concluded that as the average annual temperature rose by 1 degree Celsius, the number of diabetes cases rose by 3.1 per 10,000 people. <br /> <br />Researchers suspect the rise could be due to the inactivity of brown adipose tissue, a natural body fat that produces heat by burning fat stored in organs to keep the body warm when temperatures drop. <br /> <br />If temperatures stay warm, the inactivity of brown adipose tissue can increase fat stored in organs, causing glucose intolerance and diabetes. <br /> <br />According to the World Health Organization, about 422 million people worldwide suffer from either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. <br /> <br />According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one out of every three Americans will develop Type 2 diabetes.
