‘Wake-up Call’ Planned for March 22

 On Tuesday, March 22, all of Los Angeles – both those on the ground and in the skies – will be seeing red as the American Diabetes Association Alert Day® lights up LAX with their signature color.  A one-day “wake-up call,” the lighting of the pylons at LAX is hoped to spur Santa Clarita Valley residents to take the Diabetes Risk Test, which will inform them if they are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.  More importantly, you will know where you stand.
The risk test is a short online questionnaire that helps you learn your risk and how to take action toward a healthier you. If you score five or more on a 10-point scale, you may have prediabetes, which is a serious but reversible condition that affects 86 million (more than 1 in 3) American adults.  Without healthy lifestyle changes, this can lead to type 2 diabetes.
People with prediabetes have higher than normal blood glucose (sugar) levels but not high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes.  Basically, when you have prediabetes, you’re on the road to developing type 2 diabetes and are also at increased risk for other serious health problems, such as stroke and heart disease.  Current research estimates that 15 to 30 percent of people with prediabetes could develop type 2 diabetes within five years, and nearly 90 percent of people with prediabetes don’t even know they have it!
But it’s not all bad news.  With the right steps, prediabetes can be reversed.  The key is to find out early whether you’re at risk.
Did You Know?
– Diabetes affects approximately 30 million children and adults in the U.S. today – nearly 10 percent of the population.
– Every 19 seconds someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with diabetes.
– African Americans and Hispanics are almost twice as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites.  Asian-Americans are also at greater risk.
– Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes by 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes®.
– Diabetes nearly doubles the risk for heart attack and for death from heart disease.
– The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the U.S. is $245 billion.
Let’s face it.  There are millions of reasons why we don’t take time to make healthy lifestyle choices – we’re all busy.  But carving out a minute or two to take the Diabetes Risk Test will help you discover if you are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.  Once you’ve taken that first step toward education, share the test with friends and family, so they know where they stand.  Visit www.DoIHavePrediabetes.com.
For more information on programs in the Santa Clarita Valley, contact the American Diabetes Association at 323-966-2890 or 1-800-Diabetes. Or visit www.Diabetes.org.