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Home National Diabetes Month

National Diabetes Month

November is American Diabetes Month and November 14th is World Diabetes Day.


Diabetes is a disease that affects many parts of the human body. Diabetes is a potentially life threatening disease that can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and amputation.

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Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin . Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise are probable causes of diabetes.

Pre-diabetes occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. There are 57 millions Americans who have pre-diabetes in addition to another 23.6 million with diabetes. Type 1 diabetes results in the body's failure to produce insulin, which is a hormone that allows glucose to enter the cells of the body and fuel them.

Type 2 diabetes results from insulin resistance ( a condition where the body fails to properly use insulin) combined with insulin deficiency.

  • 24 million children and adults in the US have diabetes
  • 57 million Americans are at risk for type 2 diabetes
  • 1 out of every 3 children born today will face a future of diabetes unless research finds a cure
  • 30 minutes of exercise a day can reduce your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 40%

On a personal note: I watched my dad struggle with diabetes which he developed after his first quadruple bypass until his death last year. Diabetes can also keep wounds from healing so amputation can occur as a result of diabetes. Toward the end of his life, doctors were talking about amputating his leg because he had scaped his foot on the bed at the hospital.

Posted Saturday Nov 07