WASHINGTON, March 27 (UPI) -- Simple screening tests along with mild diet and exercise changes could prevent the number of Americans with diabetes from nearly doubling in the next decade, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said Wednesday.
The United States is in the midst of a diabetes epidemic, Thompson told a news conference at which he was joined by several specialists in the disease. The country spends $100 billion annually dealing with diabetes, he said.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta show that in 1990, only four states reported diabetes in more than 6 percent of the population. The situation was reversed in 2000 -- only eight states reported diabetes in less than 6 percent of the population.
"Today we have new numbers that show 17 million Americans have diabetes," Thompson said. "What's equally troubling is that there is an almost equal number of people on the verge of diabetes."
Studies of type 2, or adult-onset diabetes, have shown the existence of a condition the government will now term "pre-diabetes," Thompson said. The presence of elevated blood sugar levels that fall short of diabetes mean a person is very likely to develop diabetes in the next 10 years, and is also a significant risk factor for heart disease and stroke, he said.
Conservative estimates suggest 16 million Americans between the ages of 40 and 74 have pre-diabetes, said Dr. Frank Vinicor, director of the CDC's diabetes program.
Dr. Judith Fradkin, a member of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said pre-diabetes has no external symptoms, but can be spotted with existing tests. The government recommends doctors screen people for pre-diabetes if they are 45 or older and overweight, or younger than 45 if they are overweight and have an additional risk factor for diabetes, she said.
"Patients with pre-diabetes should be told they have a serious condition, but one they can reverse with diet and exercise before it becomes more serious," Fradkin said.
If pre-diabetic people reduce their weight by a few percent by changing their diet and exercising 30 minutes a day, five days a week, they cut their risk of developing diabetes by almost 60 percent, Fradkin said. For those 60 and over, the benefits are even more pronounced, she said.
"We want individuals to understand we're talking about significant benefits that can be derived from modest exercise," Thompson said. "Just 30 minutes of walking a day can help."
Parents need to pay attention to their kids, Thompson said, given the sharp rise in childhood obesity, a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
"It's time to get them off the Playstations and onto the playgrounds for exercise, and we adults need to go out and play with them as well," he said.
"We're no longer talking about diabetes as something that affects our parents in their old age," said Dr. Francine Kaufman, president-elect of the American Diabetes Association. "There's a whole lifetime ahead of diabetes and its complications if we don't act now to prevent it in these relatively young people."
More information on the disease can be found through the National Diabetes Education Program at ndep.nih.gov or through the ADA at 800-432-2383 (800-DIABETES) and diabetes.org.
