Losing Weight to Reduce Your Risk for Diabetes

What a shocker to read that 79 million Americans aged 20 and older are likely to get diabetes (because they have pre-diabetes).  These are whopping numbers!  It's a sobering fact that 35 percent of adults 20 years old and older and 50 percent of persons 65 years or older are at risk. 

On Thursday I attended The Ultimate One-Day Diabetes Course seminar in Columbia, Maryland on trends in diabetes prevention and treatment.  I was even more thunderstruck when I heard that 1 in 4 Americans have diabetes when persons at risk are included. 

Why find out what your chances are of developing diabetes?  You'll lower your likelihood of having heart disease, stroke, and the other complications of diabetes by taking steps to prevent the disease.

How can you find out if you are at risk?  Take the Diabetes Risk Test.

Lose just a small amount of weight and lower your chances of developing Type 2 Diabetes (or delay its onset) if you're at risk.  All that is needed is to lose 5 to 7 percent of your body weight. 

Here’s how:

• Get 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity 5 days a week; and

• Reduce the number of calories you eat a day to lose weight.  How? Eat a variety of foods low in fat and calories.

Please find out whether you are at risk of having Type 2 diabetes and share this information with a loved one.  Learn more about how to reduce your risk at the National Diabetes Program Web site.

What are you doing to find whether you're likely to develop diabetes?

Yours in joy and health!

Kay