The facts and figures about the financial costs of diabetes as well as the numbers of children and adults at risk of developing type 2 diabetes due to genetics, but more so being overweight, are staggering…and “sobering” as noted by Drs Judith Fradkin and Griffin Rodgers, from the diabetes division of the National Institutes of Health, in their Diabetes Care editorial The Economic Imperative to Conquer Diabetes (extract). This editorial was penned in response to the recently published American Diabetes Association commissioned report from The Lewin Group titled Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. 2007 (abstract).

Just a few staggering and sobering facts and figures…

- 17.5 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with diabetes.

- Direct and indirect medical costs of diabetes were estimated at $174 billion annually.

- 54 million more Americans have pre-diabetes (link) with a 70% risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

- Another 20 million people have insulin resistance (also known as metabolic syndrome or are at cardiometabolic risk).

- 133 million people are obese or overweight, including more children and adolescents

If you are overweight, have pre-diabetes and/or other risk factors for type 2 diabetes, educate yourself about how and why insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes develops. Read my recently published article from Diabetic Living, Stop type 2 in its tracks.

Learn more about the successful Diabetes Prevention Program – the study that documented that 7% weight loss and 150 minutes of physical activity a week (aka intensive lifestyle intervention) decreased the incidence of progressing to type 2 diabetes by nearly 60% (link).

Take action now! Set one goal at a time to eat healthier and move more! Find a plethora of steps to eat healthier in my book Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy.