A staggering 25.8 million Americans, young and old, have diabetes, and in 2010, 1.9 million new cases were diagnosed. While these numbers are astonishing, the number of Americans suffering from prediabetes has skyrocketed as well.
About 79 million Americans are suffering from prediabetes, which occurs when blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for the diagnosis of diabetes. And while statistics indicate that the majority of prediabetics will eventually develop type 2 diabetes, you aren’t just a number and you can turn things around.
If you’re prediabetic, you don’t just have to accept that you will become a diabetic. Through early intervention prediabetes is reversible. Simple changes, such as losing a moderate amount of weight (just 5 to 10 percent of total body weight) as well as moderate exercise (walking 30 minutes per day), can make a huge impact.
According to Dr. White of the Medi-Weightloss® in South Park, N.C., 9 out of 10 individuals diagnosed with diabetes are overweight. “We teach patients proper nutrition and behavior modification so they can lose weight and decrease their chances of developing diabetes,” Dr. White says. “The exceptional thing about Medi-Weightloss® is that our program positively affects patients’ basal metabolic rates. Patients quickly reach their goal weight, which motivates them to stick with the program.”
“Losing weight is so important for individuals suffering from prediabetes,” notes Dr. White.
“Prediabetics have a 50 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease, which can lead to heart disease and stroke. Prediabetics are also at a risk of developing diabetes unless they make a long-term lifestyle change.”
The epidemic of overweight and obesity is affecting Americans across the country and Medi-Weightloss® is fighting that epidemic, one patient at a time.