The Most Essential Facts --- and Some Good News --- About Diabetes:

1. Diabetes today has become a US and global epidemic --- 24 million Americans have diabetes, and another 57 million have pre-diabetes according to the American Diabetes Association --- or one in three adults!  One out of five seniors 65 years of age and older in America is diabetic, and the national Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have forecast that one out of three children born in the US from the year 2000 and beyond will become diabetic in their lifetime unless current condtions change.

   The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has published new data indicating the enormity of the diabetes epidemic. Data published in the Federation’s Diabetes Atlas show that the disease now affects a staggering 246 million people worldwide, with 46% of all those affected in the 40-59 age group. Previous figures underestimated the scope of the problem, while even the most pessimistic predictions fell short of the current figure. The new data predict that the total number of people living with diabetes will skyrocket to 380 million within twenty years if nothing is done.
2. The vast majority of people with diabetes do not have it under good control - According to a 2004 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, only 7.3% of people with diabetes are hitting all three of their blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol medical targets. This means that nine out of ten people with diabetes do not have it under good control!
3. Diabetes costs the US Healthcare System $174 billion annually ---- according to government statistics from 2007.  The underlying reason for this is that uncontrolled diabetes affects every major organ in the body, thus creating multiple health problems such as cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke), kidney failure, blindness, nerve disorders, amputations,  a weakened immune system, and other related disorders.  Having diabetes in many ways in like having "seven diseases in one".
4. Many myths still exist about diabetes --- among people with diabetes and those that are close to them.  People with diabetes and their families often have ideas about diabetes management that are terribly outdated, such as "no sugar in my diet", or "well, once you have diabetes, there's not much you can do about it".  The realities of modern medical science have refuted virtually all of the "ancient diabetes myths" that have existed for decades.  For example, the many sugar-free cookies and candies that are supposed to "help" the diabetic patient can often make their condition worse.  Diabetes and its complications need not devastate your life or the lives of those around you if it is managed with the latest science and proper educational tools.
5. There is no cure for Diabetes yet, but it can be successfully managed --- this is good news for everyone with diabetes or pre-diabetes, no matter how long you've had it or what complications you may have already experienced.  By using state-of-the-art tools and techniques, individuals can defend themselves against diabetes and its many complications, often with great success. There are no guarantees in life or with diabetes management, but recent advances in modern medical science have given us the most powerful tools yet for fighting --- and winning --- the War Against Diabetes.