Health and Wellness

Kelli Goedde

Public Health Nurse
Phone: (812) 838-1330
E-mail: kelli.goedde@poseycountyin.gov

Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have type 2 diabetes, your body can’t use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood. Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition. It can lead to health issues such as heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, or loss of toes, feet or legs.

What is Prediabetes?

Prediabetes is a blood glucose (sugar) level that is higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. One in three American adults has prediabetes, and most do not even know they have it. If you have prediabetes and do not lose weight or do moderate physical activity, you may develop type 2 diabetes within 3 years.

Am I at Risk for Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes?

You are at an increased risk for developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes if you:

• Are 45 years of age or older;
• Are overweight;
• Have a family history of type 2 diabetes;
• Are physically active fewer than three times per week; or
• Have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy or gave birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds.

If you think you may be at risk, a health care provider can do a blood test to see if you have diabetes or prediabetes.

Can I Prevent Type 2 Diabetes?

Yes! Hearing your doctor say, “You’re at risk for type 2 diabetes,” or “You have prediabetes,” means that you can start preventing type 2 diabetes today. And you do not have to do it alone. Now is the time for prevention. The Posey County Diabetes Prevention Program can help you take charge of your health to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes Prevention Program is part of the National Diabetes Prevention Program, led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The National Diabetes Prevention Program is based on research that showed that people with prediabetes who lost 5 to 7 percent of their body weight (10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person) by making modest changes reduced their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58 percent.

Nationwide implementation of the program could save the U.S. health care system $5.7 billion and prevent about 885,000 future cases of type 2 diabetes, a serious condition that can lead to health problems including heart attack; stroke; blindness; kidney failure; or loss of toes, feet, or legs.

For more information, please visit: www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/