Each year, more people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than ever before, including a large number of African Americans. The latest statistics show that about 13.3% of all African Americans over the age of 20 have diabetes, and one-third of those people don’t even know they have the disease. One in four African American women over the age of 50 has diabetes, and 25% of all African Americans between the ages of 65-74 have diabetes.
Along with these numbers, African Americans also have a higher rate of serious complications of diabetes including heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and amputation than the general population. In 2006, diabetes was listed as the seventh leading cause of deaths in the United States.*
You have the power to reduce your risk of developing any of these complications. Learning all you can about diabetes and taking control of the disease are the keys toward a healthier life.
- Learn how to eat healthy meals and snacks.
- Stay on top of monitoring your blood glucose levels throughout each day.
- Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol under control.
- Stop smoking.
- Begin an exercise program that fits your lifestyle.
- Take medications as directed, when needed.
- See your doctors regularly.
Ultimately, you are responsible for your own health. With a little planning and the desire to do so, you can control diabetes to live a healthier life and not become just one more statistic.
For further information, go to http://www.ndep.nih.gov/campaigns/Power/control_diabetes.htm.
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