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As vice president of health care and education of the American Diabetes Association, I am deeply concerned with your Health section headline on Aug. 6, “Diabetes a self-inflicted disease.”
This gives the impression that we should blame people for developing type 2 diabetes. This headline is misleading and does little to help stop diabetes.
I appreciate that the article did bring forward several very important aspects of diabetes prevention and diabetes control. Type 2 diabetes is epidemic and a major public health concern in the United States, which is leading to an unhealthy population with high medical and social costs.
While it is true that overweight, obesity and sedentary lifestyle are risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes, there are other non-modifiable factors such as genetics and aging involved.
Unfortunately, too many people disregard these other risk factors for diabetes and think that weight is the cause of type 2 diabetes.
Most overweight people never develop type 2 diabetes, and many people with type 2 diabetes are at a normal weight or only moderately overweight.
Type 2 diabetes is not a self-inflicted disease.
Here are the facts:
♦ 25.8 million children and adolescents in the United States have diabetes, with 7 million of them not knowing they even have it.
♦ 79 million people in the United States are estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition that can develop into type 2 diabetes.
There is scientific evidence that a 5 percent to 7 percent weight loss and 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week can delay the onset or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Lifestyle changes that incorporate healthy eating with regular daily physical activity and less sitting can definitely improve health.
People should know their risk factors, be tested for diabetes and work to decrease their risks.
For further information call 1-800-DIABETES or go to www.diabetes.org.
