There
is a reason why a month has been dedicated to raising our awareness about
diabetes. It is a killer disease. According to the World Health
Organization over 1.1 million people die from the disease each year. In
reality many more die from diabetes but it is recorded as kidney failure or
heart disease. Deaths from diabetes are projected to rise more than 50%
in the next 10 years and, not too surprisingly, to 80% in middle to upper
income countries.
Diabetes
has now been labeled an emerging global epidemic, which can be traced back to
the rapid increase in obesity. According to the American
Recall Center, diabetes affects over 25 million people in the United
States, or 8.3% of the entire population. Within those 25 million people, over
8 million are undiagnosed, or do not know they are living with diabetes.
What
are the symptoms of diabetes? According to the American Diabetes
Association common symptoms of diabetes are:
- Urinating often
- Feeling very thirsty
- Feeling very hungry – even though you are eating
- Extreme fatigue
- Blurry vision
- Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
- Weight loss – even though you are eating more (type 1)
- Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet (type 2)
The
positive news is for most people diabetes can be prevented. For those living
with diabetes the disease can be managed effectively by taking steps to live a
healthy lifestyle. Just like with obesity it is all about diet and exercise.
Research shows we can dramatically reduce the risk of developing the disease
and its complications if we engage in moderate physical activity for 30 minutes
each day and eat a healthy diet. For inspiration please check out my blog for healthy recipes, gadgets and tools
and lifestyle
examples.
Here
is a list of specific diabetes information resources:
American
Diabetes Association (http://www.diabetes.org)
Diabetes
Public Health Resource (http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/consumer/index.htm)
Diabetes
Awareness (http://www.cdc.gov/features/livingwithdiabetes)
Diabetes in
Older People: A Disease You Can Manage (http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/diabetes-older-people)
Minority
Women’s Health: Diabetes (http://www.womenshealth.gov/minority-health/latinas/diabetes.html)
I Have
Diabetes (http://ndep.nih.gov/i-have-diabetes/index.aspx)
What African
Americans with Diabetes or High Blood Pressure Need to Know [PDF– 2 MB] (http://nkdep.nih.gov/resources/african-american-kidney-disease-508.pdf)
Please
spread the word and help raise the awareness about diabetes. It can be as easy
as sharing this blog.
We all need to be more aware. Let’s
Live Vibrant Together!
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