Last Tuesday was National Diabetes Alert Day, sponsored by the American Diabetes Association. It is a “one-day wake-up” call to assess your risk for developing type 2 diabetes. With 26 million Americans who have diabetes, and another 79 million with pre-diabetes (or, one-third of all adults!), it is really important to take this disease seriously and work to prevent it.
Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes:
- overweight and sedentary
- over age 45
- having a family history of type 2 diabetes
- certain ethnic populations: African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and Asian Americans
Protect Yourself From Type 2 Diabetes:
- have your glucose levels tested
- enjoy a daily 30-minute walk
- eat healthy most of the time
- lose weight or stay lean
All of this is especially important if you’re over 65: Because 1 in 4 Americans over the age of 65 has type 2 diabetes.
You can take a diabetes risk test and gather some great information at www.diabetes.org or at www.stopdiabetes.com. And think about coming to my FREE Supermarket Smarts class for folks with pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes. The calendar is available at www.marthajefferson.org or you can call MJH Health Connection at (434) 654-7009.
