Are you or someone you know living with diabetes? According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 29 million Americans live with diabetes, and that number continues to grow.
When it comes to diabetes, control of your blood sugar is important, but there are other medications and evaluations that you need. On Saturday, March 19, Tanner Health System’s Get Healthy, Live Well is hosting a Diabetes Awareness Day event to educate area residents on the “ABCs” of diabetes prevention. The free community event will be held at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton in Classrooms 1 and 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration is not required.
The event will include healthy cooking classes, health screenings, informational booths, risk assessments and more. Amy Eubanks, MD, a board-certified internal medicine physician with Tanner Internal Medicine of Bremen, will also be available to help answer any questions. At the event, you’ll be able to find out if you are at risk for diabetes or learn how to manage your health if you’ve already been diagnosed.
Jamie Brandenburg, chronic disease outreach coordinator at Get Healthy, Live Well, called diabetes the new American epidemic.
“There are more deaths caused by diabetes each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined,” Brandenburg said. “Your chance of having a heart attack is nearly doubled if you have diabetes. But the good news is that controlling your diabetes reduces the risk of complications.”
Type 2 diabetes is often preceded by prediabetes, which means your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be defined as diabetes. Making healthy lifestyle changes can help reduce your risk of developing diabetes. Losing weight if you’re overweight, reducing your calorie intake, eating less refined sugars and exercising are some of the things you can do to prevent diabetes.
“Having prediabetes makes it more likely that you will develop type 2 diabetes,” said Dr. Eubanks. “Taking the initiative to live a healthy and active lifestyle is the first step to prevention. It’s never too late to make a change.”
For more information about the Diabetes Awareness Day event, contact Get Healthy, Live Well at gethealthy@tanner.org.