If you are overweight, you are at risk for diabetes. And if
you are a woman, you should know that diabetes can affect you differently
than a man, particularly your heart.
Diabetes is on the rise, both in men and women, young and old. “There
is an epidemic of diabetes in this country,”
said Barbara V. Howard, Ph.D., President of MedStar Research Institute
in Washington, D.C. She was speaking at a recent seminar on women and
diabetes sponsored by NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health.
Some 16 million Americans have diabetes, about one-third of whom do
not know it. More people than ever before are developing type 2 diabetes,
mainly because of obesity and inactivity, the two major risk factors
for this type of diabetes. Most women with diabetes have type 2 diabetes,
which is more common in older people. Women who develop diabetes during
pregnancy, known as gestational diabetes, are at increased risk of developing
type 2 diabetes later in life.
Diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage that can
result in foot or leg amputation, heart disease and stroke. Special attention
must be paid to this public health problem, particularly in women, Dr.
Howard stressed.
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You Know That...
- About 90 percent of diabetes in the U.S. is the type 2 form, which
occurs in most people after the age of 40.
- Type 2 diabetes is increasing in young people, especially among those
who are overweight, physically inactive, or have a family history of
diabetes.
- Obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes. Upper-body obesity is
a stronger risk factor for type 2 diabetes than excess weight below
the waist.
- Regular physical activity can protect against type 2 diabetes, while
a lack of exercise is a risk factor for developing diabetes.
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