It has been just over a week since the kids went trick or treating. The bounty of candy collected in plastic pumpkins and pillowcases has been thoroughly enjoyed by both children and their parents.

We haven’t come down from the sugar rush from all of those Halloween treats and here we are rolling into American Diabetes Month. In simple terms, diabetes is caused when the body cannot efficiently use the sugar we eat. When too much sugar stays in the blood instead of the cells that need it - it can lead to health problems.

According to the American Diabetes Association nearly 26 million children and adults in the United States currently have diabetes. What is of equal concern is that another 79 million Americans have pre-diabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. People who are overweight and who do not exercise regularly are at greater risk for developing diabetes. In many people, type 2 diabetes could be prevented simply by adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors such as eating nutritious food, avoiding refined sugar and getting physical activity each day. These could be what prevents many Americans from having to take diabetes medications.

Avoiding diabetes also means avoiding the painful and expensive consequences of living with diabetes. Two out of three people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke. Approximately 60-70 percent of diabetics suffer from mild to severe nerve damage that causes painful hands and feet. This damage can also cause health issues rangingfrom slowed digestion to sexual dysfunction. Diabetes is also the leading cause of kidney failure and new cases of blindness. Diabetes can cost people their good health and eventually their lives.

The financial cost of diabetes in the United States is estimated at $174 billion and this figure will continue to rise. Recent projections by the American Diabetes Association show that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to prevent it.

Visit http://www.diabetes.org this month to learn more about your risks of diabetes, then speak with your healthcare provider to learn more about what you can do at home to take control of your health and your blood sugar.

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Judy Taggart
Judy Taggart is the Community Health Director for the Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization. She can be reached at 736-5985 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).