Diabetes Prevention Challenge Continues
Preventing Obesity Helps Prevent Diabetes
Experts say improving eating habits and increasing physical activity play a vital role in preventing obesity, and can help to prevent diabetes. Some suggestions:
- Eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
- Choose whole grain foods and avoid highly processed foods made with refined white sugar, flour and saturated fat.
- Balance the food “checkbook.” Taking in more calories than are expended for energy will result in weight gain.
- Regularly monitor weight.
- Avoid foods that have a lot of calories in a small amount of food.
- Remember much may be achieved with proper choices in serving sizes.
- Accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity daily.
August 2006 — According to a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, diabetes care in the US has advanced in the last decade, but there is still much to be done to improve preventing the disease. Conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) the new reports shows good treatment includes prevention measures. "The application of good treatment to prevent complications has improved in the last five to 10 years,” says report co-author K. M. Venkat Narayan, MD, chief of the CDC Diabetes Epidemiology and Statistics Branch in the Division of Diabetes Translation. “Control of cholesterol among diabetics has improved substantially. There have also been small improvements in yearly eye and foot examinations, all important components of the regular care of diabetes,” says Dr. Narayan.
"There are good treatments available, which can prevent many long-term complications, such as cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, stroke, kidney disease, amputations, and blindness," notes Dr. Narayan. "Diabetes is a major cause of complications, unnecessary sickness, and death, by applying what we know, a lot can be achieved," says Dr. Narayan.
Diabetes affects an estimated 18 million people in the US, 90 to 95 percent of which have type 2 diabetes. About 13 million persons have been diagnosed with diabetes, but 5.2 million are unaware they have the disease. According to the most recent statistics, diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death. Additionally, Diabetes costs $90 billion annually in direct medical costs and $40 billion annually in indirect costs (loss of work, disability, and loss of life).
Caring effectively for diabetes is a team effort that also has to include the healthcare systems, health insurers, and government, says Robert Rizza, MD, a Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic and President of the American Diabetes Association. "Keeping patients healthy saves hundreds of thousands of dollars by preventing complications," says Dr. Rizza.
Treatment of diabetes is a complex process, Dr. Rizza says. It takes the patient, physician, and the community working together to provide successful treatment. "This is not a matter of 'take a pill and go home,'" he remarks. Dr. Rizza also strongly recommends improving fitness. "If you stay lean and fit throughout your life, you have a 95 percent chance of never getting diabetes," he says. "It's almost entirely preventable."
If you would like a referral to a physician, please call Memorial Physician Referral Service toll-free at
(800) 944-DOCS. We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.