Can We Change the Future?

"In the United States, 1 in 3 people will have Type 2 diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "


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West Virginia is already a "leader" in numbers of adults who have the chronic disease, diabetes mellitus, or type 2 diabetes. Characterized by an the body's inability to properly produce insulin and process sugar in the blood, diabetes can be a "silent killer" like hypertension: you may not know you have it if you are not routinely tested, but it will be there doing its damage.  A simple fasting blood test will give you the number of your blood glucose level. Too high on more than one occasion, and your doctor may tell you that you have joined the growing population of people with type 2 diabetes. Why do you want to avoid this happening? To make it very simple, having diabetes makes your risk for other major illnesses like heart disease and stroke go up dramatically.  Unmanaged, diabetes can cause blood vessel damage to occur all through your body, and that can affect your eyes, your nerves, your feet, and your kidneys. Complications of uncontrolled diabetes can include blindness and amputation. So diabetes is a whole-body, systemic disease.

Adding to the sense of urgency is the fact that younger and younger people are developing diabetes. Whereas we used to call it "adult onset diabetes", that description has been changed - type 2 diabetes now can be found in teenagers.

The rise in cases of diabetes parallels the rise in the numbers of people who are overweight or obese. This has to be a concern to us as parents and community members. For most people - including children - the key to avoiding developing diabetes is : maintain a healthy weight by eating well and being active.

Worried? Want to take steps to avoid being part of this epidemic? We can change this prediction, if we each take responsibility for our own health:

• Lose weight if you are overweight.
• Lose weight safely by staying within a range of 400 calories per meal, with two or three 100-calorie snacks
• Limit saturated fats; limit red meat, hamburgers, fried foods
• Avoid refined carbohydrates - eat whole grains instead
• Avoid vending machines and fast food - eat real food
• Choose water instead of soft drinks or fruit juice; drink fat-free milk
• Learn to cook quick nutritious meals at home; pack your lunch and snacks to control your portion sizes and your hunger
• Eat lots of non-starchy vegetables; choose beans as a protein source at least once a week.
• Make sure you get lots of FIBER in your diet.
• Walk, run , bike, swim, take the stairs, zumba, stretch, lift weights - just keep moving - every day! 

Diabetes is an expensive, lifetime disease that requires daily monitoring. Please do your body a favor and click here to learn how to avoid diabetes if you don't have it, and control it if you do. And by all means, talk to your health care provider if you suspect you are at risk for diabetes or need help controlling your blood glucose levels.