November is American Diabetes Month. As we enter a holiday season of family—and—calories it’s good to remember the steps to take to be healthy.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 of every 3 U.S. adults had prediabetes in 2010. That is 79 million Americans aged 20 years or older. Most people who have prediabetes do not know they have it and this puts them at even greater risk.
Prediabetes means that blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. People with prediabetes are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well as related conditions such as heart disease and stroke. Some of the side effects of type 2 diabetes include kidney disease, blindness, and nerve damage.
- Some people are at greater risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. These include people who are
- Over the age of 45
- Overweight
- Have/had a parent with type 2 diabetes
- Have/had a sibling with type 2 diabetes
- Are African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander
- Had diabetes when pregnant or had a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds
- Are physically active less than three times a week
Only your health care provider can tell you if you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, but there are important things all of us can do to reduce our risk.
- If you are overweight, work on losing that weight.
- Be physically active. Walk more, take the stairs when you can, join an exercise class, or see what your local community center or YMCA has to offer.
- Give up the sugary drinks. Replace that cola with water.
- Visit ChooseMyPlate.gov for information on making healthy food choices and on portion size
- Talk to your health care provider and your insurance company about prevention resources that are available. Some insurance companies offer access to nutritionists or will cover the costs of programs such as Weight Watchers.
- Check out free resources. The American Diabetes Association has lots of good resources to help you.
For more information you can also visit NEA HIN’s diabetes pages.
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