By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Adams Memorial Hospital will be offering a new series of diabetes prevention classes starting April 3.
“If you have prediabetes or other risk factors for type 2 diabetes, now is the time to take charge of your health and make a change, the hospital said in making the announcement.
Prevent Type 2 Diabetes is part of a national diabetes prevention program led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The announcement said the class features an approach that is proven to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. By improving food choices and increasing physical activity, a person can lose 5 to 7 percent of their body weight.
“If you have prediabetes, these lifestyle changes can cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes in half,” the hospital said. “Prediabetes can lead to type 2 diabetes … one out of three American adults have prediabetes, and most of them do not know it”
Symptoms that might place someone at a higher risk for diabetes would include family history, high blood pressure, age (over 50), low physical activity, high BMI, and an A1C test result of between 5.7 and 6.4.
Having prediabetes means your blood glucose (sugar) level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes, the hospital announcement said.. This raises your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Without weight loss or moderate physical activity, many people with prediabetes can develop type 2 diabetes within five years, it was noted
Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition that can lead to health issues such as heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, or loss of toes, feet, or legs. The lifestyle changes a person makes in the prevention program will help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, according to the hospital.
The new diabetes prevention classes at Adams Memorial will start April 3, from 1-2 p.m. in Conference Room D, previously the Geneva Room.
To register, call Lisa McAfee, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator and Life Coach: (260) 724-2145, extension 11107.
It was noted that of 41 hospitals that offer diabetes prevention programs in Indiana, Adams Memorial Hospital is 1 of 12 that are fully recognized by the CDC.