The Diabetes Disaster In America

News from the diabetes front is not good.

With obesity and sedentary lifestyles THE primary causes, diabetes has risen unchecked in the United States, now affecting about 7 percent of the population, an estimated 20.8 million adults and children, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Federal projections estimate that by 2050, some 48 million Americans (close to 1/3 of the population) will have type 2 diabetes, with all its complications in tow, such as blindness, hearing loss, kidney disease, nervous system disorders and amputations of extremities.

"Studies have suggested that for the first time in history, the generation of people born in 2000 is probably going to have shorter life expectancy than their parents," said Dr. Sue Kirkman, vice president of clinical affairs for the American Diabetes Association. "That's attributable to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Is that what we want for our children? The statistics are pretty gloomy, but we also know people who are at risk for diabetes can do a lot to prevent it from coming on. There's a lot people can do to try and control their fate."

Understand, medicines are only part of the solution. A far better approach, and one that would be a life-time approach, would be drastic changes to American lifestyles, starting with improved diets and more exercise, to avoid type 2 diabetes in the first place.

Health care costs are expected to skyrocket as multitudes of people with diabetes complications fill doctors' offices and emergency rooms. This has extremely grave implications for America with the U.S. economy seriously affected as potentially healthy people find themselves unable to work, cited Martha Funnell, a clinical nurse specialist for the University of Michigan and a past president of the American Diabetes Association. "You're losing folks in the prime of their years, and that has an impact on society and our economy," Funnell said.
She noted that on a more personal level, people can make healthy lifestyle choices and help pass those choices along to their children.
"The messages are those same old 'eat healthy and exercise,' and we hear those to the point where we think, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, everybody knows we need to do these things,' " Funnell said.

However, even small measures -- standing more often during the day or walking during a lunch break or eating an apple instead of ice cream -- can help make a difference.

"Maybe it would seem to outsiders as a small step, but it's just taking that one step and the next step and the next," Funnell said. "Like global warming, it's saying, 'What can I do for myself and my family this week, this month, this year, that will make a difference?'."

But is anyone willing to listening, let alone willing to try? The answer is what has lead to this explosion of diabetes cases. It is obvious that for decades, the answer has been a resounding “no”.