November is National Diabetes Month

MINNEAPOLIS (Nov. 13, 2015) — November is National Diabetes Month, and the City of Minneapolis wants to help prevent diabetes by encouraging people to get screened for Type 2 diabetes and then take action if they’re at risk for developing it.

A person with a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes may have prediabetes, which means blood glucose (sugar) levels higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. Risk factors for developing prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes include being older than 45, being overweight, having a family history of diabetes, having had gestational diabetes during a pregnancy or giving birth to a baby weighing more than nine pounds, and being physically inactive.

The Minnesota Department of Health estimates that one out of three Minnesotans have prediabetes, but most of them don’t know it. People with prediabetes are likely to develop Type 2 diabetes within five years if they don’t take action.

People can talk to their healthcare providers or take a short online quiz to find out if they are at risk for prediabetes.

With modest lifestyle changes, people can reduce their risks of diabetes

People with prediabetes who lose 5 to 7 percent of their body weight (7-10 pounds for a 147-pound person or 10-14 pounds for a 200-pound person) through healthy eating and physical activity habits can reduce their risks of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. The National Diabetes Prevention Program can help people with prediabetes make those lifestyle changes.

The Minneapolis Health Department, with funding from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sponsors the prevention program for Minneapolis residents in four community clinics and one community organization.

Under the guidance of a trained coach over 16 weeks, participants learn healthy eating, physical activity, managing stress, staying motivated, and solving problems that can get in the way of making healthy changes.

New classes are forming now. For more information, people can go towww.minneapolismn.gov/health/living/diabetes or call a class provider directly:

• Native American Community Clinic (Brian Joyce at 612-872-8086 x1041).
• Hennepin County Medical Center (Pa Xiong at 612-873-6641).
• Neighborhood HealthSource clinics (Julie Lor at 612-287-2447).
• Stairstep Foundation (Sylvia Amos at 612-521-3110).

Editor’s note: staff from the City of Minneapolis’ Health Department, staff from a community clinic leading a National Diabetes Prevention Program class, and a former participant of this program will be available for interviews on request.

For more information about the National Diabetes Prevention Program, go to www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/index.htm.