November is American Diabetes Month: Let’s talk About this Epidemic and Diabetes Prevention Program for Type 2

Every year the American Diabetic Association throughout the month of November uses their voice to ring the alarm about the diabetic epidemic in the United States and the use of Diabetes Prevention Program.  For the millions of people who are at risk of being diagnosed, it’s time to get educated, find resources, and help keep those we care for aware of their risk as well. For people who are already diagnosed with diabetes, this month is a chance to voice their stories. Why? Because the more you know about diabetes, the more you can do toward preventing, delaying, or lessening the harmful complications.

It’s very possible that you know at least one person who has diabetes. Maybe a friend, a family member, or someone you support has diabetes. It’s hard to believe that the discovery of insulin has only been around since 1921. Science has come a very long way from those early days of insulin therapy, but before the discovery people with diabetes had little time to live. Since that time we have also created Prevention Programs for Type 2 diabetes.

Today in America the number of people with diabetes is higher than it has ever been. One thing to keep in mind is that diabetes is not just something your grandparents have to worry about, people are developing diabetes at younger ages and at higher rates. 

The fact is diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) health condition. Diabetes affects every body system and can lead to many complications. Put simply, diabetes affects how your body turns food into energy.  Insulin is a hormone that the body naturally produces which allows the energy we eat to enter the body’s cells. When a person has diabetes, your body either doesn’t make insulin or doesn’t use its insulin well.  That causes high blood sugar levels that can lead to serious health complications over time. The leading cause of blindness in the United States is from a diabetic complication called diabetic retinopathy. The leading cause of dialysis and kidney transplant is from a diabetic complication called diabetic nephropathy. Heart complications, such as high blood pressure and coronary artery disease, occur twice as often in someone who has diabetes compared to the general public. There are more complications that can also be life altering.

The National Diabetes Statistics Report provides information and stats on both existing cases, new cases, and prediabetes. Key findings accessed 9/2022 from CDC.gov included the following:

• 37.3 million Americans—about 1 in 10—have diabetes.
  • About 1 in 5 people with diabetes don’t know they have it.
• 96 million American adults—more than 1 in 3—have prediabetes.
  • More than 8 in 10 adults with prediabetes don’t know they have it.
• In 2019, about 1.4 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed.
• For people aged 10 to 19 years, new cases of type 2 diabetes increased for all racial and ethnic minority groups, especially Black teens.
• For adults with diagnosed diabetes:
  • 69% had high blood pressure, and 44% had high cholesterol.
  • 39% had chronic kidney disease, and 12% reported having vision impairment or blindness.
  • Diabetes was highest among Black and Hispanic/Latino adults, in both men and women.

So, diabetes can take a serious toll on the quality of a person’s life. Diabetes affects the physical body, as well as mental health and emotional wellbeing.  Although there is no cure, management is the key.

Now that you have some information about diabetes, you can take action to prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes and its complications.  Go to the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) website and take charge with tools and resources. Check it out at cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention.