A new survey has revealed that diabetes and hyperglycemia statistics are on the rise. The survey data was compiled by Dr. Catherine Cowie, a program director in the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, together with Andy Menke, an epidemiologist and researcher at Social & Scientific Systems, a global health research company.
The study compiled diabetes and high blood sugar information from national survey data of 5,000 Americans. The most recent data on diabetes and high blood sugar in Americans dates back to 2012.
New diabetes data for Asian-Americans
The new data also investigated diabetes and high blood sugar in Asian-Americans and found some startling facts. The survey found approximately 20 percent of Asian-Americans had diabetes. Shockingly, more than half of that percentage had no idea they had such a serious health condition. Dr. Cowie stated, “The proportion of diabetes that’s undiagnosed is as high as 50 percent in Asian-Americans and the Hispanic population compared to about a third in whites and in blacks.”
According to the new survey, diabetes was found in 11 percent of whites, 22 percent in African-Americans, 22.6 percent in Hispanics and 20 percent in Asian-Americans. The study reveals figures that are much higher than those provided by the 2012 research, which found that approximately 12 percent of all American adults had diabetes.
Diabetes, high blood sugar and BMI
The study also found diabetes numbers to increase among people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, which is the clinical marker for obesity. Type 2 diabetes is also more prevalent in the survey, since approximately 90 to 95 percent of diabetes cases are type 2, according to the American Diabetes Association.
What can you do to stay healthy?
With diabetes and high blood sugar affecting half of America, it is essential for you to take action in order to reduce your risk. The recent data compiled by diabetes experts and researchers is alarming; however, in the case of type 2 diabetes, it’s all about the personal health choices you make daily.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 29 million people have diabetes in America, diagnosed and undiagnosed, and 86 million Americans have high blood sugar and are considered prediabetic. Diabetes is ranked seventh on the CDC’s “cause of death ranking,” killing more than 70,000 people annually according to the American Diabetes Association.
You do not need to be a statistic!
Eating healthily and exercising regularly will greatly decrease your risk for type 2 diabetes, according to the CDC. Choosing gluten-free whole grains over processed carbohydrates, limiting your sugar intake, adding more polyunsaturated fats (omega-3s) from fish, limiting red meat consumption, and quitting smoking are all exceptional ways to decrease your risk for type 2 diabetes, as outlined by Harvard’s School of Public Health. Furthemore, a healthy diet and exercise will decrease your risk for metabolic syndrome related issues, like obesity and inflammation, two key indicators associated with type 2 diabetes.
Research spanning over six years published in Diabetologia (1991), examined the effect of exercise combined with a healthy diet in relation to type 2 diabetes. The study states, “We conclude that long-term intervention in the form of diet and physical exercise is feasible even on a large scale, and that substantial metabolic improvement can be achieved which may contribute to prevent or postpone manifest diabetes.”
Are you making healthy choices to prevent type 2 diabetes and high blood sugar? In most cases of diabetes, the choice is in your hands. Diabetes and high blood sugar cases will continue to rise in America if the Western diet is not revamped and returned to more nutritious sustenance. You have the power to take diabetes and high blood sugar off your plate by putting your health and well-being first. Eating nutrient-rich foods and walking 30 minutes every day can keep you happy and healthy for decades to come.
—Stephen Seifert
Stephen Seifert is a writer, professor, adventurer and a health & fitness guru. His flare for travel and outdoor adventure allows him to enjoy culture and traditions different than his own. A healthy diet, routine fitness and constant mental development is the cornerstone to Stephen’s life.
Sources:
http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hyperglycemia.html
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/
http://nih.gov/news/health/sep2015/niddk-08.htmhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/social-&-scientific-systems
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/diabetes.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/statsreport14/national-diabetes-report-web.pdf
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/preventing-diabetes-full-story/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25800032
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00400196
