If you believe you are at risk for developing diabetes, there is something you can do about it. People with prediabetes who make the kinds of basic lifestyle changes the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program suggests—modest weight loss, eating healthy and regular physical activity—have been shown to reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been involved in extensive research on prediabetes and diabetes in the United States. Their findings suggest that this disease continues to be a growing issue for people of all ages and backgrounds:
Diabetes affects 25.8 million people in the United States.
Recent studies estimate that 79 million Americans over the ages of 20 have prediabetes.
Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
In 2010, roughly 1.9 million new cases of diabetes in people over the age of 20 were diagnosed.
People with diabetes are about 50% more likely to die than people of the same age without diabetes.
Medical expenses for people with diabetes are 2.3 times greater than those without.
People with diabetes are between 2-4 times more likely to have a stroke and die from heart disease.
Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people aged 20-74.
People with diabetes are at greater risk for nerve damage, dental disease, lower limb amputation, depression and complications during pregnancy.