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According to a study, the number of people with diabetes worldwide is expected to more than double by 2050. In less than three decades, more than 1.3 billion people could suffer from the chronic metabolic disease, according to research published Friday in the British journal The Lancet.

According to Liane Ong, a researcher at the US Institute for Health Statistics (IHME) and lead author of the study, the reasons for the rapid increase in the number of cases of the disease are changing eating habits.

In the past 30 years, many countries have moved from traditional diets high in fruits and vegetables to increasing consumption of processed foods, she told AFP. Other factors leading to diabetes include obesity, lack of exercise, alcohol and cigarettes.

According to the study, the number of people with diabetes will increase in every country in the coming decades, but by 2045 three-quarters of adults with diabetes will live in low- and middle-income countries.

It is estimated that more than 500 million people worldwide already have diabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 95 percent of cases Diabetes is one of the top 10 causes of disability and death. (saw/sda/afp)