November is National Diabetes Month, a time to focus on the impact of diabetes and the steps you can take to protect your health. Did you know that 1 in 10 Americans—more than 37 million people—has diabetes? Closer to home, 13% of adults in our area live with this condition. Alarmingly, another 11% of adults have been diagnosed with prediabetes or “borderline” diabetes.
Prediabetes often goes unnoticed. You can have prediabetes for years without symptoms, which is why more than 80% of people with prediabetes don’t know they have it. If left unaddressed, many with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within a decade.
Taking action today can make a significant difference. By knowing your blood glucose (or blood sugar) levels, you can implement lifestyle changes to prevent or delay diabetes progression. These changes may also lower your risk of diabetes-related complications, such as heart disease, stroke, and issues involving your eyes and nerves.
Take the First Step Toward Better Health
Don’t wait to find out your risk. Take a simple 1-minute quiz from the CDC to assess your risk for prediabetes and learn how to take charge of your health. Visit Illinois Extension's Managing Diabetes Website for more information and resources.
About Kristin Bogdonas
Kristin Bogdonas is a Nutrition and Wellness Educator dedicated to empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their health. Listen to this episode National Diabetes Month on her Wellness Wake Up Call Podcast
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.