Take Action Against Diabetes

Good news! You can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes with proven, achievable lifestyle changes... even if you’re at high risk or if you already have prediabetes.

---

November is National Diabetes Month.
​Tell me what diabetes is again?

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy.

Most of the food you eat is broken down into sugar (also called glucose) and released into your bloodstream. When your blood sugar goes up, it signals your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin acts like a key to let the blood sugar into your body’s cells for use as energy.If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream. Over time, this can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.

Diabetes has a few different types. More than 100 million people have some form of diabetes, and many of them don’t know they have it.

Type 1 Diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake) that stops your body from making insulin. It’s usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults and it cannot be prevented. Someone who has type 1 diabetes will need to take insulin every day to survive.

Type 2 Diabetes is when your body doesn’t use insulin well and can’t keep blood sugar at normal levels. About 90-95% of people with diabetes have type 2. It develops over many years. You may not notice any symptoms, so it’s important to get your blood sugar tested if you’re at risk. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed with healthy lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, eating healthy food, and being active.

Gestational Diabetes develops in pregnant women who have never had diabetes. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after your baby is born but increases your risk for type 2 diabetes later in life. Your baby is more likely to have obesity as a child or teen, and more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life too.

Prediabetes affects 88 million adults in the United States—more than 1 in 3. What’s more, more than 84% of them don’t know they have it. With prediabetes, blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes raises your risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The good news is if you have prediabetes, a  lifestyle change can help you take healthy steps to reverse it.
​

---

1 in 3 people have Prediabetes?
What if that’s me?

​Prediabetes has very few symptoms. It’s important to understand your risk.

You can have prediabetes for years but have no clear symptoms, so it often goes undetected until serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes show up. It’s important to talk to your doctor about getting your blood sugar tested if you have any of the risk factors for prediabetes, which include:

• Being overweight
• Being 45 years or older
• Having a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes
• Being physically active less than 3 times a week

Race and ethnicity are also a factor: African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, Pacific Islanders, and some Asian Americans are at higher risk for prediabetes.

Good news, though. Prediabetes is almost completely preventable.

You can prevent prediabetes or delay type 2 diabetes with proven, achievable lifestyle changes - even if you’re at high risk or already have prediabetes. Creating just a few healthy habits and practicing them year-round will help keep your risk low:

• Get at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week. That’s only 30 minutes, 5 days a week. 
• Keep your weight in a healthy range. Every single body is different. Use this BMI calculator to assess yourself.
• Eat healthy foods, including lots of fruits and veggies. Plan healthy recipes and perfect plates with the diabetes food hub!
• Drink more water. Half you body weight daily, to be exact. If you need a reminder to, download a free hydration app or track on a wearable health tracker.
• Don’t smoke. If you need help to quit smoking, visit smokefree.gov
  ​
  

---

More Diabetes Resources to Help

EATING IS EASY
Food to Stay Healthy​

TAKE THE ASSESSMENT
& Find a Program to Help

DOWNLOAD INFOGRAPHIC
"Could It Be You?"

WATCH VIDEO
"A Change For Life"