Author: Staff Writers

Confessions of a Pre-Diabetic: It stares at me from the deep recesses of the pit and mocks me. I am surprised by how quickly I agree that I want what’s being offered; yet I hesitate.

This isn’t the first time I had faced this foe and I’m certain it won’t be the last – an empty cookie wrapper in the bottom of a trashcan.

My son did not resist the urge and had another. I determined to stand firm.

As the years pass by it becomes clear that no one can eat like they did when they were ten and feel good afterwards. In my own circle of influence I am often involved in deep conversation about calories, carb counting and the impact processed foods have on a diet.

It seems strange. In years past there would be conversations about sports scores, cars and weekend plans. Today? It’s often about food.

Yet, as much as I agree with the notion that a better diet is worthwhile, and I know that eating wisely also makes you feel good – I still stare at the cookie wrapper with envy.

It is interesting that an obsession with food throughout your life can become an even greater obsession when trying to avoid health complications from being overweight or being told you’re pre-diabetic.

There can be moments of fight or flight. You want to reach out and pummel your body into such perfect shape that you look like you did when you were young. On the other hand you may want to run away from the diagnosis and treat it as if it doesn’t exist. Fight – flight.

It can be dangerous to assume that diabetes is inevitable because there will be no fight in your battle – just a relentless march toward what should be avoided. There will be little resistance to returning to life as normal and waiting for the doctor to prescribe some pills to help you deal with diabetes.

For me? I slowly watch the weight come off as I determine to make better choices. I walk more, ride my bike more often, pay attention to product labels and am well acquainted with the term, “Portion control”.

Diabetes has been labeled a pandemic in some circles, yet it often gains a collective yawn from individuals who often believe if it is ignored it will go away like a common cold.

In my case I have an office job that requires very little physical exertion. What that means for me is having to find ways to work out the physical side of life at times other than work. Frankly with the stress of life in general the answer most of us choose is simply to crash when there are moments of downtime.

If I’m going to succeed in my quest I will need to become an expert at what it takes to reverse course. I will need to be intentional about my new course as a lifelong quest – not simply a fad that will fade away when the doctor says things have improved.

I envision an Olympic athlete. They pay the price to get into shape and run the race. Do they then abandon the workouts when they have finished the race? Not if they want to stay competitive. A victory may be won, but there are more ahead. This is how I like to picture my current battle.

So today I stare at an empty cookie wrapper and am able to walk away basking only in the memory of a taste. Am I a martyr? No. I choose the term “Overcomer.”

Minimizing the Instance of Gestational Diabetes: Have you ever heard of docosahexaenoic acid or DHA? If not, you’re probably not alone. If you’re pregnant, however, this supplement could reduce or even prevent gestational diabetes.

In order to test this belief researchers are beginning a trial of this supplement comprised of omega-3 fatty acids that may be able to lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity in pregnant women according to principal investigator Debra Krummel, PhD of the University of Cincinnati.

A two-year study is planned to help researchers come to terms with the potential benefit of DHA in pregnant women.

Previous research indicates women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes are often highly susceptible to Type 2 diabetes later in life. If gestational diabetes could be prevented or instances reduced this could have a significant impact in potential Type 2 diabetes in women who are also mothers. As you’ll see later in this report the benefits of DHA also extend to their children.

Krummel told Physorg.com, “We have to find a way to help these women once they’re already pregnant, and that’s what this supplement is about. If this supplement can improve insulin sensitivity and markers of inflammation in pregnant women, it’s a huge clinical benefit. It’s already good for the baby but if it can have this other benefit, it’s huge.”

This diabetic research is centered in Cincinnati, Ohio and will be focusing on around 90 women who are between the ages of 18-40. Study candidates will be less than 26 weeks pregnant at the time they enter the study and are asked to make three appointments during their pregnancy related to the gathering of study findings in their case.

Participants are compensated for their time and are provided the supplements they will need as part of the study. Two control groups will be developed. One will receive DHA and the other will not. Study participants will be screened and placenta blood will also be screened following birth to gather additional facts. Findings from both groups will be compared and that data will result in recommendations to physicians or be the basis for revised studies.

Existing findings related to DHA indicate it has been helpful to babies within the womb by assisting in cognitive development following birth, retinal development and better overall vision. An existing supplement that is high in DHA is fish oil. The reason fish contain high levels of DHA is that this beneficial nutrient is found in abundance in algae.

This report did not take into account the advantages tied to a reduction in Triglycerides levels along with fewer instances of heart disease among those who regularly ingest DHA.

Gestational diabetes is often discovered in pregnant women who are also overweight. This is not exclusively true, but the trends indicate it is more common in this scenario.

When a pregnant woman who is diagnosed with gestational diabetes does not work to control her blood glucose there may be problems with their children being born overweight and with a greater likelihood that those children may develop Type 2 diabetes. The stage also seems to be set for the mother who may feel fine after the baby is born, but may have had her body conditioned for the development of Type 2 diabetes.

If the addition of DHA during pregnancy could decrease or effectively eliminate gestational diabetes this would be “huge” indeed.

Make Changes While Your Young To Avoid Type 2 Diabetes: The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute funded a 20-year study on the affects of aerobic fitness on diabetes potential. The findings indicate ‘fitness for life’ is a worthy mantra.

ScienceDaily.com recently reported, “Most healthy 25 year olds don’t stay up at night worrying whether they are going to develop diabetes in middle age. The disease is not on their radar, and middle age is a lifetime away.”

The July release of the full details of the study (Diabetes Care) strongly indicates that a view toward a healthy lifestyle in your teens and twenties may be essential in creating a body environment that resists diabetes later in life.

One of the primary reasons this is believed to be true is that we all tend to slow down as we age. If you begin with an already sedentary lifestyle is becomes almost impossible to encourage yourself to work out more as you age. The natural tendency is to actually do less. This in turn accelerates the conditions needed for the development of diabetes.

Mercedes Carnethon, lead author and assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern’s Feinberg School was quoted in the report as saying, “These young adults are setting the stage for chronic disease in middle age by not being physically active and fit. People who have low fitness in their late teens and 20’s tend to stay the same later in life or even get worse. Not many climb out of that category.”

The report indicates this is the first long-term study of its kind because most previous studies, observed for much shorter periods of time, relied on self-reporting by participants. In this long-term case results were taken by subjecting participants to a treadmill test and allowing researchers to report actual results over nearly two decades.

The greatest predictor of diabetes in the study seems to be Body Mass Index (BMI). This is the total amount of body fat an individual has. The more body fat – the greater the potential for Type 2 diabetes.

Carnethon confirms, “The overwhelming importance of a high BMI to the development of diabetes was somewhat unexpected and leads us to think that activity levels need to be adequate not only to raise aerobic fitness, but also to maintain a healthy body weight. If two people have a similar level of fitness, the person with the higher BMI is more likely to develop diabetes.”

This report suggests that diabetes prevention may need to begin when young adults still believe they are invincible. Developing and maintaining a healthy weight and exercise program may be critical to the success of diabetes avoidance. The ScienceDaily.com report suggests, “Young adults (18 to 30 years old) with low aerobic fitness levels –as measured by a treadmill test — are two to three times more likely to develop diabetes in 20 years than those who are fit.”

A further breakdown of the report suggests, “Young women and young African Americans are less aerobically fit than men and white adults in the same age group, placing a larger number of these population subgroups at risk for diabetes.”

This study started in 1984 and was finished in 2001. More than 3,000 individuals participated and several issues were scrutinized prior to the development of publicly released findings.

The bare bones of the study suggest an early acceptance and enjoyment of physical activity may be necessary to combat the chronic disease of diabetes later in life.

Struggling With Diabetes in a Depressed Economy: More than 25,000 diabetic patients are being tracked in a Greater Cleveland study in Ohio. This is a rather large undertaking on a local level to track diabetes and accompanying managed care.

The report, started in 2007, suggests that patients are doing a better job overall when it comes to personally managing their blood glucose.

Dr. Randall Cebul, director of Better Health Greater Cleveland (BHGC) told Cleveland.com his collective is, “Still crunching numbers, but preliminary estimates are around $200 million a year in largely preventable local hospital costs.” This equals around $8,000 per diabetic patient per year on preventable costs.

The goal of BHGC is to help patients manage their care in an effort to minimize costs while improving overall health. That being said, the economy has not done much to allow this dream to come true. Ohio has been hit in the same way any other state has been. BHGC indicates there is a 19% unemployment rate among the diabetic patients they track and this is causing patients to forego self-management in favor of meeting other expenses.

Cebul indicated, “People either scrimp on care — they don’t go to visits because they can’t make [payments] — or they scrimp on medicines and supplies. They won’t be checking their sugar, that’s all there is to it.”

To prove the point Cleveland.com visited with Vivian Scott, a 47 year-old diabetic who said, “Testing strips run anywhere from $50 to $150 a month. Those are not covered, they are out of pocket. Most of the time I don’t do my sugar because I can’t afford it. The electric bill or food on the table is more important.”

Scott isn’t alone. Many diabetic couples are sharing pills hoping it will provide the help they need.

Subsidized care programs are in place to help when they can, but as the instance of diabetes increases it becomes more difficult to bear the burden of care.

What seems troubling to many experts is the economy may impact diabetes on more than one front. Certainly what you’ve already read is a microcosm of diabetes management in cities across the US, but the second impact is the stress coping with finances often has on individuals who do not currently have diabetes. This stress may result in future instances of diabetes among the general public.

We see an immediate impact due to the fact that individuals who have diabetes are struggling with how to pay for their care, but we are also seeing individuals eating foods that are highly process while the individual lingers over their own personal finances. These conditions may be contributing factors to onset diabetes.

Medical experts indicate that it is only when diabetes is tightly controlled that long-term expenses associated with diabetes care can be minimized. If individuals cannot test due to financial restraints they are less likely to avoid medical conditions that may require hospitalization and other medical intervention in the future.

From a practical standpoint it is easy to see how individuals look at medical expenses of a hundred dollars or more as being unreasonable when they are trying to simply pay for the other necessities of life. Groups like Better Health Greater Cleveland and others become instrumental in helping provide education and subsidized care to diabetic patients.

This may be a difficult time for diabetics to cope with the management of their disease, but there are organizations extending hope, and some diabetics who are struggling with their finances are finding help.

Environmental Factor May Be Key to Diabetes Development: A study funded by the National Institutes of Health indicates a specific type of food processing may hold the key to the development of many diseases including Type 2 diabetes.

ScienceDaily.com reports that researchers at Rhode Island Hospital have concluded that there is a, “Substantial link between increased levels of nitrates in our environment and food with increased deaths from diseases, including Alzheimer’s, diabetes mellitus and Parkinson’s.”

Dr. Suzanne de la Monte was the lead researcher on this study and says, “We have become a ‘nitrosamine generation.’ In essence, we have moved to a diet that is rich in amines and nitrates, which lead to increased nitrosamine production. We receive increased exposure through the abundant use of nitrate-containing fertilizers for agriculture. Not only do we consume them in processed foods, but they get into our food supply by leeching from the soil and contaminating water supplies used for crop irrigation, food processing and drinking.”

Cured meats such as bacon, hot dogs and some lunchmeats are often rich in nitrates. Because of crop growth techniques even green beans, carrots and spinach may contain high levels of nitrates. Bottled water may be a safe alternative to a water supply if nitrate levels in the water supply are deemed to be high due to fertilizer and pesticide use.

ScienceDaily.com explains, “Nitrosamines are formed by a chemical reaction between nitrites or other proteins. Sodium nitrite is deliberately added to meat and fish to prevent toxin production; it is also used to preserve, color and flavor meats. Ground beef, cured meats and bacon in particular contain abundant amounts of amines due to their high protein content. Because of the significant levels of added nitrates and nitrites, nitrosamines are nearly always detectable in these foods. Nitrosamines are also easily generated under strong acid conditions, such as in the stomach, or at high temperatures associated with frying or flame broiling. Reducing sodium nitrite content reduces nitrosamine formation in foods.”

If you think it strange that diseases like Parkinson’s Alzheimer’s and diabetes seem so prevalent today it may be because they are. In 1950 many of these diseases were either not widespread or non-existent. The rapid growth of these and other diseases seems to have a cause that falls outside the realm of genetics causation.

Dr. Suzanne de la Monte indicates, “Because of the similar trending in nearly all age groups within each disease category, this indicates that these overall trends are not due to an aging population. This relatively short time interval for such dramatic increases in death rates associated with these diseases is more consistent with exposure-related causes rather than genetic changes. Moreover, the strikingly higher and climbing mortality rates in older age brackets suggest that aging and/or longer durations of exposure have greater impacts on progression and severity of these diseases.”

One fact that may have been overlooked by many was published in ScienceDaily.com and is part of a larger report in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease,  “The findings indicate that while nitrogen-containing fertilizer consumption increased by 230 percent between 1955 and 2005, its usage doubled between 1960 and 1980, which just precedes the insulin-resistant epidemics the researchers found. They also found that sales from the fast food chain and the meat processing company increased more than 8-fold from 1970 to 2005, and grain consumption increased 5-fold.”

De la Monte concluded, “If this hypothesis is correct, potential solutions include eliminating the use of nitrites and nitrates in food processing, preservation and agriculture; taking steps to prevent the formation of nitrosamines and employing safe and effective measures to detoxify food and water before human consumption.”

As the President’s advisor on Homeland
Security, I am passing along the following message from
Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services,
Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Arne
Duncan, Secretary of Education, who are leading the efforts
to prepare our Nation for the coming flu season.

Fellow Americans,

This spring we were confronted with an outbreak of a troubling
flu virus called 2009-H1N1. As the fall flu season approaches,
it is critical that we reinvigorate our preparedness efforts
across the country in order to mitigate the effects of this
virus on our communities.

Today, we are holding an H1N1 Influenza Preparedness Summit
in conjunction with the White House to discuss our Nation’s
preparedness. We are working together to monitor the spread
of 2009-H1N1 and to prepare to initiate a voluntary fall
vaccination program against the 2009-H1N1 flu virus, assuming
we have a safe vaccine and do not see changes in the virus
that would render the vaccine ineffective.

But the most critical steps to mitigating the effects of
2009-H1N1 won’t take place in Washington — they will take
place in your homes, schools and community businesses.

Taking precautions for this fall’s flu season is a responsibility
we all share.

Visit Flu.gov to make sure you are ready and learn how you
can help promote public awareness.

We are making every effort to have a safe and effective
vaccine available for distribution as soon as possible,
but our current estimate is that it won’t be ready before
mid-October. This makes individual prevention even more
critical. Wash your hands regularly. Take the necessary
precautions to stay healthy and if you do get sick, stay
home from work or school.

We are doing everything possible to prepare for the fall
flu season and encourage all Americans to do the same —
this is a shared responsibility and now is the time to prepare.

Please visit Flu.gov to learn what steps you can take to
prepare and do your part to mitigate the effects of H1N1.

Take Care,

Kathleen, Janet and Arne

The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111

Glucose Control: It’s all a Game: Everything in life is based on a system of priorities. If your priority is to get a good nights rest then you go to bed earlier than you would if your priority is to watch the late show on television. If your priority is to lose weight then you will stay away from certain foods and try to get more exercise.

If you’re a kid with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes your priorities may center around gaming, but not so much on managing the care of your diabetes. A young person is more likely to know where their hand-held gaming system is than they would if asked about their glucose meter.

Paul Wessel is a parent of Luke – one of those kids who never seemed to be able to keep track of their glucose meter. Wessel worked with the team at Bayer to develop Didget. The glucose testing company will be using the Contour meter in connection with this gaming plug in. This blood glucose meter plugs into a Nintendo Game Boy or DS lite.

The system will first be made available in the UK and should be unveiled in the US soon. The reason Bayer is excited about Didget is that testing and personal glucose management is tied to opening new levels and tools within the games that are linked to the Contour meter. The results are fused to the game itself and players/blood testers can access new areas of “Knock ‘Em Downs World’s Fair video game and Mini Game Arcade.” The Bayer UK website indicates there are two separate levels of play that allow the game potential to grow with the DS user’s vigilance in taking glucose readings and managing their blood sugar.

The Bayer Didget official website offers a list of advances based on individual skill and glucose control.

BASIC MODE (L1)

• Simple testing right from the start. Just insert the test strip and test.
• Fast 5-second test time.
• Small 0.6 ?L blood sample.
• 480 test result memory.
• Large, easy-to-read display.
• Ready to test out of the box.
• No Coding™ technology.
• Auto detection of control solution.
• 14-day average.
• 7-day HI/LO Summary.

ADVANCED MODE (L2)

• The same easy testing as Basic Mode plus advanced, customizable features.
• Advanced Mode supports the need for personalized treatment goals for children.
• Easy personalization of HI/LO blood glucose target range setting.
• HI/LO test result summary shows tests above and below your child’s glucose target level.
• Pre- and post-meal marker helps children quickly identify tests taken before and after eating.
• Selectable post-meal reminder can help children remember to test after meals at a time that works for their routine.
• 7-, 14- and 30-day averages.

While critics may be quick to point out that the Bayer Didget system is not compatible with the Nintendo DSi they fail to understand that many of those kids who enjoy gaming will likely retain their DS Lite or DS unit.

It is also possible that Bayer may develop new technology to allow for the adaptation of the Didget device to work with the new Nintendo technology.

This device really is an ‘outside the box’ idea that will likely appeal to young males who have diabetes (Type 1 or Type 2). It rewards positive control in a way that makes sense to boys who still live at home. Girls may enjoy it too, but the device may prove especially helpful in getting younger males to take their condition at least as seriously as the latest game cartridge.

Emma Kleck: A Portrait in Courage: Type 1 diabetes can be difficult because it is often misdiagnosed at least once. It may be perceived as a type of flu or potentially effects of growing pains. In some cases the doctor might even think the patient is drunk (an unusual side effect of undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes). A diagnosis may only come when the child is rushed to the emergency room and a doctor must get to the bottom of the issues surrounding their medical difficulty. The news is often very unexpected.

Type 1 diabetes is what brought Santa Cruz High School Junior Emma Kleck to the hospital when she was in second grade.

Anne Parker from MercuryNews.com spoke with Kleck who, we discovered, is an only child and is gifted at three instruments, violin, guitar and trumpet.

Debby Joyce is Emma’s mom and she told MercuryNews.com, “I don’t tell her what to do, what to be involved in, what classes to take. It’s all entirely her choice. She is, and always has been, passionate about her life.”

So Emma involves herself academically with a 3.9 GPA and is involved in dance and band. Her insulin pump is a constant companion and is emblazoned with the likeness of Mickey Mouse. Emma’s blood sugar is checked as often as eight times daily.

Yet, what seems most remarkable about this young lady is an incredible attitude about life. Emma told Parker, ‘My mom once said to me, “‘You’ve never said, ‘Why me?’” I just don’t have time to feel sorry for myself.’

Emma participates in a diabetes study at Stanford and she attends diabetes camps each year. Parker reflects,  “It’s hard to remember that this bright, warm, talented teenager deals constantly with a potentially dangerous condition, requiring lifelong monitoring. Emma herself makes you forget.”

Two goals Kleck mentioned in that interview was to participate in a bike ride for diabetes funding and to play music with a professional orchestra. We think the goals may be too small for someone like Emma Kleck.

Some psychologists have indicated that parents can project a victim mentality onto their children. If the parents believe the children are to be pitied then the children often come to believe they have been treated unfairly and can become bitter.

It may be important for parents and children to read stories like Emma’s. It can be a refreshing wake up call that an individual can live and excel even with a medical condition as difficult as Type 1 diabetes.

The truth is it may not seem fair that one child develops diabetes while another does not, but as parents we can work to help our kids succeed by concentrating on life rather than a disease. In many cases Type 1 diabetics can lead a very active and socially adjusted life.

When fellow students understand the blood tests and snacks that are necessary for glucose control many may become advocates and few will find it awkward to be around them.

We often hear about celebrities like Nick Jonas who are helping to raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes, but there are thousands of individuals just like Emma Kleck who appeal for understanding and acceptance every day. One doesn’t minimize the other. They both have their functions. Sometimes it just makes sense to salute those who continue to make a positive difference in the world – in spite of the label ‘diabetic.’

Is a Type 1 Diabetes Vaccine a Possibility: What if it were possible to provide children with a vaccine that would effectively eliminate the disease known as Type 1 diabetes? While there are multiple advances in the treatment and regulation of blood glucose in Type 1 wouldn’t it be better to simply stop Type 1 from ever developing in the first place? It’s possible, but it is practical?

When you really get down to the nuts and bolts of medicine it is conceivable that there would be no more Type 1 cases ever, but at least ion one case the cost is too high.

You see Type 1 diabetes is developed based on misinformation provided to the immune system. The body’s own T cells attack the pancreas based on this information. By disabling the pancreas the production of insulin stops and Type 1 is assured.

The radical step would be to simply suppress a child’s immunity through chemical means, but this would leave children open to a host of diseases that could develop while the body stops fighting all invaders – real or imagined.

In Type 1 the body may label beta cells as invaders and send T cells to kill them. The T cells do their job, but on a wrongly identified foe. Consider this a time when your body comes under friendly fire and loses.

If removing the body’s ability to fight invaders is not a workable solution what might work? That’s the question Dr. Massimo Trucco a physician connected with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation wants an answer to.

Trucco has been working on a vaccine that focuses on dendritic cells. It is these cells that alert the T cells to the presence of invaders. The problem is the dendritic cells are wrong.

Dr. Trucco has been working to alter the message sent by the dendritic cells so that T cells will not understand it. If the T cells aren’t told to attack the beta cells Trucco theorizes they will simply not attack. If they don’t attack then the pancreas remains healthy and properly functioning.

The T cell attack on the pancreas might be a bit like one branch of the military informing another branch that one of America’s cities had become an enemy of the state. The military would be called into action and an attack would take place in an effort to overpower the perceived enemy and eliminate the foes that stand against the sovereignty of the country. However, if this scenario were true I would hope there would be some intervention or requests for further verification before they proceeded with the attack.

No such verification is required in a T cell attack on the beta cells of the pancreas. The pancreas does not stop working in a single attack. The process can take some time, but the T cells don’t seem to stop their attack on what they are told to consider an enemy.

Dr. Trucco’s research has proven successful in laboratory mice and a human adult trial is underway on 15 Type 1 diabetics. Should this prove promising future studies are planned with Type 1 diabetic children.

The current process is complicated and does not appear cost effective, but what is learned may provide answers on how to make this an effective vaccination for future generations who may no longer need to live life with Type 1 diabetes.

Native Americans Stand Against Diabetes: One often overlooked segment of the American population that lives with diabetes is the American Indian. According to Marketwire, “At nearly 17 percent, American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes among all U.S. racial and ethnic groups.”

Nearly 1,500 representatives of American Indian tribes recently gathered in Denver, CO for the Indian Health Summit. Dr. David Marrero was a speaker at the event and had concerns that face the Indian nation. Marrero told TheDenverChannel.com, “Obviously this is the most at-risk population in the world so anything that can be done to explore better care delivery and better avenues of prevention is critical.”

Harold Holman, Board Member of the American Diabetes Association of Western Oklahoma recently told BartlesvilleLive, “Native Americans face an alarming rate of diabetes. We need the voices from the community to feel empowered and encouraged to develop diabetes education programs based on their needs.”

Indian Health Service (IHS) director Yvette Roubideax agrees. “Diabetes is a huge challenge for this population. But it is a growing problem in the United States. We’re fighting an uphill battle, but we have to fight in the entire country.”

IHS received more than three and a half billion dollars in aid this year, but this amount is about half of what they need to assist nearly 2 million Native American and Alaskan Natives. The recent gathering in Denver allowed conferees to share ideas and unique resources.

The HIS website confirmed that President Obama has proposed an increase of about a half billion dollars for funding in 2010, “This proposed budget is directed at supporting and improving the provision of health care services, improving health outcomes, promoting healthy communities, addressing health disparities, and strengthening the Indian health system with additional resources for health care services.”

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Diabetes Education Program offers these suggestions for Native Americans to assist in reducing the high percentage of diabetic cases in their tribes.

• Set goals you can meet and start by making small changes.
• Aim to lose at least 5 to 7 percent of your current weight – that’s 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person.
• For support, team up with friends and family to help you lower your risk for type 2 diabetes.
• Make healthy food choices every day.
• Make time to prepare and cook healthy foods.
• Cut down on food portion sizes.
• Choose water to drink instead of sweetened fruit drinks and soda.
• Increase your activity level by walking more often.
• Build physical activity into your day.

The American Diabetes Association created the Awakening the Spirit: Pathways to Diabetes Prevention & Control as a subcommittee of the to help share important messages about diabetes with Native Americans. The ADA site contends, “No one should have to fight diabetes alone.”

The ADA offers these three truisms for those Native Americans living with diabetes.

• People with diabetes can manage it
• People with diabetes can live full lives
• People with diabetes can be well enough to watch their grandchildren grow up

It is encouraging to many Native American leaders to see a cohesive effort to address the issue of diabetes. A comment on the ADA site may explain why this is problematic to this community, “Years ago, Native Americans did not have diabetes. Elders can recall times when people hunted and gathered food for simple meals. People walked a lot. Now, in some Native communities, one in two adults has diabetes.”