November is National Awareness Month: Catch Diabetes Early

From Weems Memorial Hospital October Newsletter

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. If it’s not controlled, diabetes can cause blindness, nerve damage, kidney disease, and other health problems.

One in 12 Americans has diabetes – that’s more than 25 million people. And another 79 million adults in the United States are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

   

The good news? People who are at high risk for type 2 diabetes can lower their risk by more than half if they make healthy changes. These changes include: eating healthy, increasing physical activity, and losing weight.

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. One in 12 Americans has diabetes – that’s more than 25 million people. And another 79 million adults in the United States are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

   

If you are overweight, have high blood pressure, or are age 45 or older, you are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The good news is that making healthy changes can greatly lower your risk.

Preventing Diabetes: Questions for the Doctor

  

Visiting the doctor can be stressful. It helps to have questions written down before your appointment. Print out this list of questions, and take it with you the next time you visit the doctor. Take notes to help you remember your doctor’s answers.

Questions to Ask

• Am I at risk for pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes?
• How can I find out if I have diabetes?
• Are there any warning signs of diabetes I should watch for?
• Does my weight put me at risk for diabetes?
• If I’m overweight, how many pounds do I need to lose to prevent or delay diabetes?
• How much physical activity should I get to prevent or delay diabetes?
• What changes can I make to my diet to prevent or delay diabetes?
• What are some healthy ways to lose weight and keep it off?
• What are my blood pressure numbers and cholesterol levels, and what should they be?
• Do my blood pressure numbers and cholesterol levels put me at risk for diabetes?
• Is there any information about preventing diabetes that I could take home?
• Are there any local diabetes prevention programs that you could recommend?

For more information on lowering your risk for type 2 diabetes, visit: www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/index.htm.