Six Important Steps for Controlling Diabetes

November is National Diabetes Month. Diabetes is a disease that is running rampant in America today.  My interest in this disease lies in the fact that I have lost many close family members and friends to this disease, several have lost limbs, and my husband is currently grappling with this it — even though it’s under control.

In light of this, I thought it appropriate to share the article below from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

America is facing an epidemic of diabetes, a serious disease that damages bodies and shortens lives. In the next four decades, the number of U.S. adults with diabetes is estimated to double or triple, according to CDC scientists. That means anywhere from 20 to 33 percent of adults could have the disease. About 1 in 9 adults have diabetes now.

If you already have diabetes, managing the disease can lower your risk of complications such as kidney failure, heart disease and stroke, blindness, and amputations of legs and feet. Here are some important steps to take to control diabetes:

1. Talk to your health care provider about how to manage your blood glucose (A1c), blood pressure, and cholesterol.
2. Stop smoking and do not use any other tobacco products.
3. Get a flu vaccine. For those with diabetes, type 1 and type 2, it is important to ask for the “shot” version. Talk to your health care provider about a pneumonia (pneumococcal) shot. People with diabetes are more likely to die from pneumonia or influenza than people who do not have diabetes. CDC recommends that everybody aged 6 months and older get a flu vaccine, including family members of people with diabetes.
4. Reach or stay at a healthy weight.
5. Make sure you’re physically active. Plan for 2 hours and 30 minutes each week of moderate physical activity, such as walking quickly or gardening, or 1 hour and 15 minutes each week of vigorous physical activity, such as jogging or jumping rope. Add muscle strengthening activities on 2 or more days each week. Physical activity can help you control your weight, blood glucose, and blood pressure, as well as raise your “good” cholesterol and lower your “bad” cholesterol.
6. Know Your Score.

Obesity – a Major Risk Factor

Being overweight or obese raises your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. To see whether you are at a healthy weight, check your body mass index (BMI) at this CDC calculator. People with a body mass index of 25-29.9 are considered overweight, and people with a BMI of 30 or above are classified as obese.

Other Risk factors

• Age 45 or older
• Developed diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes)
• Have a parent, brother or sister with type 2 diabetes
• Are not physically active
• Belong to certain racial or ethnic groups. African Americans, Hispanic/Latino, American Indians, and some Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are at high risk for type 2 diabetes.

Ways You Can Help Prevent Diabetes

Having a condition called prediabetes means you are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes within 3 to 6 years. People with prediabetes have blood glucose (sugar) levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. CDC estimates that 1 in 3 U.S. adults—79 million people—have prediabetes.

Research trials have shown that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed in people at high risk for the disease who make lifestyle changes. Weight loss of 5 to 7 percent (about 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person) and increasing physical activity to 150 minutes per week can reduce or delay the development of type 2 diabetes by nearly 60 percent. You can find written and electronic resources to help through the National Diabetes Education ProgramExternal Web Site Icon, sponsored by CDC and the National Institutes of Health, and community-based group classes through the CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program.

If you have diabetes, or know someone that has this disease, give me some comments on how it has affected you or anyone you know.  Also, if you have any tips that you have found helpful, please share your experiences.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Here is an awesome video that shows how one person took control of this disease in her life :  Transform Your Life With Vi
For additional information, Visit: Body by Vi 90-Day Challenge