Today, nearly 21 million children and
adults in the U.S. have diabetes.
One-third of those—or more than six million
do not know they have diabetes. Early diagnosis is
critical to successful treatment and delaying or preventing
some of its complications such as heart disease, blindness,
kidney disease, stroke, amputation and death.
The Alert Day was created to increase awareness of
the increasing prevalence of diabetes and the lifestyle
factors that contribute.
Incredibly one in five Americans is at risk for developing
type 2 diabetes.
And for many, diagnosis may come seven to ten years
after the onset of the disease.
Known risk factors linked to diabetes include:
- Obesity
- Family History of Diabetes
- Sedentary
Lifestyle
- Over the age of 45
- High
Blood Pressure
- High Cholesterol
As Upland Hills Health Diabetes Nurse Educator Devon
Taylor explains, “Developing healthy lifestyle
habits can go a long way to reducing your risk factors.
Things like losing weight, maintaining a healthy diet,
and exercising regularly help. Even losing just 10
to 15 lbs can decrease a person’s risk by 50%
if they’re overweight.” Taylor recommends
a quick diabetes risk test found online at www.diabetes.org/alert.
For more information on Diabetes or the Diabetes Education
program at Upland Hills Health call 608-930-7137.
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