The Good News!
Diabetes can be prevented and the risk can be greatly reduced through small behavior modifications.
Reducing the Burden of Diabetes Through Prevention
Reducing a pre-diabetic person’s weight by 5 to 7 percent can reduce his or her risk of diabetes by 60 percent. A 200-pound person only needs to lose 10 to 15 pounds, which can be done through small behavior modifications. Modifiable risk factors that greatly reduce the risk of diabetes includes:
Working on these modifiable risk factors is easier said than done. It is essential to provide educational training for people diagnosed with pre-diabetes to ensure that it doesn’t progress to diabetes. Considering the personal and economic impact of diabetes on North Dakota citizens, prevention seems like the ethical and cost-effective choice.