Diabetes, obesity on rise in U.S.
One bad development is the rise in type-II or adult-onset diabetes, which can be prevented with proper diet and exercise.
The report finds that 6.5 percent of American adults were diagnosed with diabetes in 2002 compared with 5.1 percent in 1997. Another recent study shows that about 12 million adults have been diagnosed with diabetes and an additional 5 million adults have it but do not know it.
Another 12 million adults have impaired fasting glucose tolerance — meaning they will develop diabetes if they do not do something right away. That means losing weight, exercising and eating better.
“We are at the cusp of a problem that can even get much worse,” Bernstein said.
The development affects not only patients themselves, but the health care system. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death among women and sixth among men. The condition is associated with heart disease, chronic kidney disease, blindness, and amputations.
“Almost one in five hospitalizations in people over 45 has a diagnosis of diabetes associated with it,” Bernstein said.
As we worry about rising health care costs, we need to understand this component of prevention. If we would invest in exercise and weight loss, we would be healthier. Healthy people have lower health care costs.
Our genetics have not changed in the past 5 years. But our waistlines have. We can only blame ourselves. We must change. We must all take personal responsibility for our health.
Robert Prather understands that until each person understands the cost of health care, he/she will not have the motivation to act – Health Insurance Again But act we must.
We need a different insurance system. One which keeps patients in touch with costs. Read Prather and the linked article from Reason.
And by the way – eat smart, keep portions under control, and exercise. That plan really works.
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2 Responses to Bull market – diabetes and obesity
lk
October 4th, 2003 at 6:41 pm
The health care dollar in America (usually the healh insurance premiuims) is the biggest bargain on the planet. But you would not know it listening to the politicians pandering to the citizenry. Wes Clark mentioned a fitness program in one debate, so that is a start. Ask not what the health care system can do for you, but what you can do for your own health.
Bernie Simon
October 4th, 2003 at 6:51 pm
The real problem is that after many years of research we still don’t know enough about what causes obesity and what makes weight loss so difficult. Because macro nutrition isn’t really amenable to the sort of double blind studies favored by modern medicine and cultural attitudes strongly bias opinions (e.g, vegetarianism) we’re stumbling around in the dark.