If so, then why is diabetes taking more lives, and causing more blindness, and amputations than ever before?
Because "red-state" Americans like you are too lazy to get any exercise and spent too much time stuffing themselves full of Big Macs, Whoppers, and other junk food. Don't blame scientists for the fact that you eat too much and don't get enough exercise. Scientists at Scripps and Salk have been working hard to unravel the intracacies of diabetes. (But in the case of this disease, it's a "rear-guard" action -- an attempt to "clean up" after the lifestyle-mess that Americans have made for themselves).