Prediabetes and Diabetes in the United States . . . and What to Do
Diabetes, a serious disease itself, is well known to lead several additional health complications such as heart disease, the major cause of death among those who have diabetes, and also it’s the leading cause of kidney disease, of eye disease, blindness and lower limb amputations.
For anyone not familiar with diabetes — a serious disease defined by above normal blood sugar levels in the body — a more detailed description with additional factual details can be found elsewhere on this website at: When Blood Sugars Lead to Diabetes.
It is the opinion of the American Diabetes Association that people who develop the most common form of diabetes, known as type-2 diabetes, almost always develop the condition called “prediabetes” in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Unfortunately, recent research indicates that even before diabetes becomes a reality, some long-term damage to the body can occur, especially to the heart and circulatory system, even with prediabetes.
The situation today in the United States
The increasing incidence in the diagnosis of diabetes and prediabetes occurring in the United States has been well publicized in recent times. It is also well known that there are probably millions of undiagnosed cases of both diabetes and prediabetes in the United States. That is according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) and other health authorities. In fact, for pre-diabetes, the publications from those official sources state that there are an estimated 79 million Americans aged 20 years or older with pre-diabetes. Many are unaware of it.
That is a phenomenal number for an advanced country such as the United States. While I’m sure appropriate advice is being given, it underlines the failure of both education authorities and health care services to be effective in the prevention of this very much preventable disease. Any advice that is given is obviously being largely ignored since the situation is getting worse. And as the diseases develop to a more serious extent, which they usually do over time, the extreme costs to the health care system will eventually become overwhelming.
What can be done?
For a first move, why not see a doctor? A doctor can requisition a simple clinical blood test that takes a minute or two to administer and allows a laboratory to make an analysis that will immediately determine whether or not prediabetes exists, is near, or is completely absent.
For those who have or are nearly prediabetic
Diabetes and pre-diabetes are not infectious diseases but diseases of lifestyle that studies conclusively show can be prevented by making changes in diet, losing excess weight, and by increasing levels of physical activity in the daily life of the person affected.
Reliable studies confirm that people with pre-diabetes who lose weight and increase their physical activity can prevent or delay the progression to type-2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes.
Most people who seem likely to become diabetic can reduce the possibility of that happening by taking about 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day, together with a 5 to10% reduction in body weight.
There are also some medications that may slow the development of diabetes, but a modified diet and the addition of exercise to a sedentary life works much better — and is accompanied in many cases by an improved sense of achievement and self esteem.
The American Diabetes Association is developing information materials to aid people in understanding the risks they face for developing prediabetes and what can be done to halt the progression to diabetes. A visit to their website at Diabetes Prevention provides information on “Diabetes Basics”, and other important topics such as “How to Tell if You Have Prediabetes”, “How to Prevent Prediabetes” and “FAQ’s on Prediabetes”, and of course much more.
In summary: Diabetes is incurable
Diabetes cannot be cured, once the condition is confirmed to exist it can only be controlled, it never goes away, it becomes a fact of life for the individual and if not successfully treated, can shorten life and will certainly diminish the day-to-day quality of life.
Pre-diabetes is not
But the pre-diabetes condition that often precedes diabetes proper, can be treated, it can be reversed and eliminated. It takes an effort and will power and diligence but, considering the alternative, is well worthwhile.
Almost every diabetic’s wish
Most people who already have diabetes would give so much to be able to be able to work their way out of the condition and leave the daily routines, the pills, the injections, the frequent blood tests and other demands of the diabetic life behind.
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