May not be able to save them

Introducing the Pierini DIET here

According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes mellitus (commonly referred to as diabetes) is a condition characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from the body's inability to use blood glucose for energy. In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas no longer makes insulin and therefore blood glucose cannot enter the cells to be used for energy. In Type 2 diabetes, either the pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body is unable to use insulin correctly.

If researchers are correct, diabetes is a word that will be used more often in the future to describe a condition that afflicts our friends, family members and, perhaps, us. An article published in the December 2009 issue of Diabetes Care included a startling conclusion that the diabetes population and the related costs are expected to at least double in the next 25 years.

Diabetes Care is published by the American Diabetes Association for the health care practitioner that is intended to increase knowledge, stimulate research, and promote better management of people with diabetes.

Specifically, the researchers who wrote the article state that, between 2009 and 2034, the number of people with diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes will increase from 23.7 million to 44.1 million, and that approximately 65 percent of individuals of the population will be overweight or obese.

During the same period, annual diabetes-related spending is expected to increase from $113 billion to $336 billion (2007 dollars). For the Medicare-eligible population, the diabetes population is expected to rise from 8.2 million in 2009 to 14.6 million in 2034; associated spending is estimated to rise from $45 billion to $171 billion.

It’s well known that we can stay healthier longer and reduce our risk of diabetes through a healthy lifestyle such as changing our diet, increasing our level of physical activity, and maintaining a healthy bodyweight.

What surprised me while reading an abstract of this article was a sentence in the authors’ conclusion that "without significant changes in public or private strategies, this population and cost growth are expected to add a significant strain to an overburdened health care system. "

Well that may be a true statement but I would have written it differently. "Without significant changes by individuals to live a healthy lifestyle and maintain a healthy bodyweight through diet and exercise, an overburdened health care system may not be able to save them."

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum