November Is National Diabetes Month: NIDDK Urges Action to Prevent Diabetes Health Problems Affecting About 38 Million Americans
November is National Diabetes Month in the United States. This year, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is focusing on taking action to prevent diabetes health problems, urging the public to know their risk and manage blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol early.
According to NIDDK, diabetes occurs when blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high, and it affects about 38 million Americans, including adults and youth. Diabetes can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart, and is linked to some types of cancer. People at higher risk of type 2 diabetes include those with overweight or obesity, those age 35 or older, those with a family history of diabetes, those who are not physically active, and those with prediabetes.
For management, NIDDK promotes the diabetes ABCs: A is for the A1C test, which measures average blood glucose levels; B is for blood pressure; and C is for cholesterol. Patients are advised to ask their health care team what their ABC goals should be. Taking medicines on time, planning healthy meals, being physically active, getting enough sleep, and not smoking can all help prevent or manage diabetes, and losing 5 to 7 percent of starting weight may help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes for people with overweight or obesity.
NIDDK notes that managing diabetes takes a team, which may include a primary care provider, a diabetes specialist, a registered dietitian, or a certified diabetes educator, and that mental-health support is also part of care.
Details: NIDDK official National Diabetes Month page
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：血糖仪与采血笔（资料图）。照片：Celeda，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A blood glucose meter and lancing device (file photo). Photo by Celeda, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
