Stay Connected

The American Diabetic Association is asking – ARE YOU IN? November is American Diabetes Month. Are you ready to take action?

Here is what you need to know:

• The number of people worldwide with diabetes has risen from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014.
• 30.3 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, that is 1 out of every 10 people have diabetes.
• 1 out of 4 people in the U.S. do not know they have diabetes – they have not been tested.
• 84.1 million people in the U.S. that is 1 out of 3 adults have prediabetes.
• 9 out of 10 people in the U.S. do not know they have prediabetes – they have not been tested.
• People who have diabetes are at higher risk of serious health complications – blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, stroke, loss of toes, feet or legs. When diabetes is under control, these complications can be prevented.
• African-Americans are twice as likely as non-Hispanic Whites to die from diabetes.

ARE YOU IN?

Take the diabetic risk test.

Get screened for diabetes.  Screening is done by getting a blood test – it can be the hemoglobin A1 c, fasting glucose, a 75 gram glucose tolerance test or a random glucose.

 If you have been diagnosed with prediabetes, know that you can cut your risk of getting diabetes by half by eating healthy and becoming more active. There are also programs like the National Diabetes Prevention Program that you can join to help you.

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, the goal is to get your diabetes under control so that you do not develop any of the serious health conditions mentioned above. You will need to work with your health care provider, eat healthy and stay active. Please take advantage of any diabetic education classes available in your local area. It is worth taking these classes.

I take diabetes personally. My father and my father-in-law died of complications related to diabetes. The stats I have shared are real to me. Whether or not you have been diagnosed with prediabetes/diabetes, you still need to take action by sharing the stats and getting your family and friends to be screened.  Share the information. ARE YOU IN? I am in and I hope I can count on you to be in.

For more information about diabetes, you can visit the American Diabetic Association or the CDC.