Letter: Today is American Diabetes Alert Day
Nearly 26 million people in the U.S. have diabetes.
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Open Letter to the Editor:
Tuesday, March 27, 2012, is American Diabetes Alert Day—a “wake up” call to inform people about the seriousness of diabetes. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to deadly complications—including heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and amputation.
Nearly 26 million children and adults in the U.S. have diabetes—including 375,000 people in Minnesota. A quarter of those with the disease—almost 100,000 in Minnesota alone—do not know they have it. By 2050, as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes.
The good news is that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed through regular physical activity, healthy eating, and by losing just 7 percent of body weight (15 pounds if you weigh 200).
We strongly urge you to take the Diabetes Risk Test and share the test with everyone you care about—friends, family members and colleagues. You can take your free Diabetes Risk Test (in English or Spanish) by visiting the American Diabetes Association website, Facebook page, or by calling 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383). The Diabetes Risk Test is available year-round and includes links to information on ways you can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes.
Sincerely,
...
rob_h78
12:05 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Diabetes is just such a huge problem and while many people call it a ticking medical time-bomb waiting to explode I think that it is already exploding and that it is a process that will keep exploding for decades to come and the cost to society is going to be enormous and while I know many people are so worried about the government doing much of anything, the reality is that if something isn't done everyone will pay the price and no one will get out of this unscathed either by taxpayer dollars for Medicare, etc... or vastly increasing health care premiums for your insurance or even if you pay cash the increasing costs that providers will pass on to everyone.