WASHINGTON, July 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Fifty-seven million Americans with pre-diabetes are teetering on the brink of developing one of the most damaging and costly diseases of our time. Yet research is showing that sound, low-cost solutions can help pull them back from a diagnosis of full-blown diabetes.
Advertisement
At 57 million, the number of people with pre-diabetes is more than double that of people who currently have the disease itself. And as many as 40 percent of those with pre-diabetes will become fully diabetic in three to eight years, according to research. Individuals with pre-diabetes face a 50 percent greater chance of heart disease or stroke, as well as increased complications from hypertension, kidney disease, and neurological problems. Pre-diabetes adds an additional $25 billion annually to overall health care spending - this on top of the $174 billion cost of diabetes.
Advertisement
The July 12 briefing on pre-diabetes will feature experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Diabetes Association, the USDA Food and Nutrition Services, and Kaiser Permanente. They will share recent research supporting practical, evidence-based solutions such as nutrition, exercise, and the HbA1c lab test that can help delay or stop the onset of diabetes.
"Recognizing the damage from pre-diabetes and controlling it are critical in the broader battle against diabetes," says David Mongillo, of Results for Life, the educational arm of the American Clinical Laboratory Association. "Research is saying that some of the best ways to do that are through more exercise, better nutrition, and appropriate lab testing."
The program is being co-sponsored by Results for Life, the American Diabetes Association, Novo Nordisk, and The Endocrine Society -- in cooperation with the Congressional Diabetes Caucus.
Speakers at the briefing will include:
The briefing is from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room B-338.
-- David M. Kendall, MD, Chief Scientific & Medical Officer for the American Diabetes Association -- Ann Albright, Ph.D., RD, Director of the Division of Diabetes Translation for the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention -- Julie Paradis, Administrator for Food and Nutrition Services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture -- Winston F. Wong, MD, MS, Medical Director, Community Benefit, Director of Disparities Improvement & Quality Initiatives at Kaiser Permanente
SOURCE American Clinical Laboratory Association
