By Our Reporter
There’s a lot of confusion and lack of good information about this increasingly common disease. Those who aren’t directly affected by diabetes may not know what it actually is, and if they don’t know the basics then they certainly won’t know the nuances between its forms. Here are ten facts about diabetes you may not come across often.
1. About one third of all people with diabetes do not know they have the disease.
2. Type 2 diabetes often does not have any symptoms.
3. Only about five percent of all people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.
4. If you are at risk, type 2 diabetes can be prevented with moderate weight loss (10–15 pounds) and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity (such as brisk walking) each day.
5. A meal plan for a person with diabetes isn’t very different than that which is recommended for people without diabetes.
6. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults.
7. People with diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease than someone without diabetes.
8. Good control of diabetes significantly reduces the risk of developing complications and prevents complications from getting worse.
9. Bariatric surgery can reduce the symptoms of diabetes in obese people.
10. Diabetes costs $174 billion annually, including $116 billion in direct medical expenses.
