SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (KTIV) – Type 2 diabetes affects how the body uses sugar for energy, making it unable to use insulin properly and leading to potential blindness, kidney failure, lower limb amputations, and more. It may be possible to connect. However, this metabolic disorder can be prevented.
Dave Faldomo with the Siouxland Regional Health Department says diabetes is becoming more common in today's society.
“We had a 9-year-old child the other day who was diagnosed with prediabetes,” Faldomo said. “She had all the risk factors, including being obese and having diabetes in her family, but I think she was the youngest prediabetic I've ever seen.”
According to world health organizationThe number of people living with diabetes has increased from 200 million in 1990 to 830 million in 2022.
“The lifestyle that we have now, we're always driving up fast food, we're eating processed food, we're never sitting together as a family, we're running away all the time,” Faldomo said. Said. “Diabetes and prediabetes have become almost an epidemic, and there are many things that contribute to where we are in society right now.”
Fardomo said people who have risk factors and are overweight or obese are encouraged to get tested for diabetes.
“One in three Americans has prediabetes, and eight out of 10 people who do have prediabetes don't know they have it because they haven't been tested.” said Faldomo.
This is an A1C test that measures how much sugar is attached to red blood cells in the body.
“If your A1C is less than 5.7, that's good, all good. That means your average has fallen in the 100 or lower range for the past three months,” Faldomo said. “But anything between 5.7 and 6.4 means you're in the pre-diabetic range, and anything above 6.5 is considered diabetic. So we can catch this problem early and turn things around. We want to prevent the onset of full-blown diabetes.”
Community Health Centers have certified diabetes education programs to help you learn what it takes to live a healthier lifestyle.
“This is a year-long program, so you come to class every week for the first four months, then every other week from the fifth and sixth months, and then every month after that,” Faldomo said. . “The goal is to lose about 4% to 5% of your body weight over a one-year program, and then do 150 minutes of exercise per week spread over several days.”
Fardomo said this is a proven program that helps prediabetics reduce their chances of developing diabetes.
“Yesterday, a patient came in who is in the final stage of the program and has lost 20 pounds,” Faldomo said. “She walks every day. Her A1C has gone from the pre-diabetic range to the normal range. She is very happy and feels great. She used to be sluggish and tired all the time, but she just feels good. ”Now I feel like a completely different person. So it can be really impactful. ”
talk family doctoro Get tested for diabetes to see if you should take the next steps to live a healthier life.
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