
Diabetes dilemma: Prevalent disease is on rise, but it's largely preventable
Dominique Wilkins talks about diabetes and the importance of getting screened. Amanda Inscore/news-press.com
For the past few years, my best friend and I have gone on annual weekend buddy trips.
We’ve traveled to Orlando; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Madison, Wisconsin; Chicago and the Shenandoah Valley. We talk about the Cubs, Packers, sports issues, our wives, politics and anything that crosses our minds.
I have come to cherish every trip because I’m not sure how many we have left. My friend has Type 2 diabetes. Although he’s lost 50 pounds, he admits he needs to lose more. A new job that has him driving two hours a day doesn’t help. Walking is a challenge because he has knee problems. And while he has cut back on Coca-Cola, he still drinks enough of the stuff to make most health-care specialists cringe.
My friend also is a reminder that I need to take better care myself. I’m not skinny and I have had life-long kidney issues.
When I look at diabetes, it makes me believe excess sugar has surpassed cigarettes as the worst thing we put in our bodies. And excess eating isn’t too far behind. As Jon Burdzy, president of Lee County Medical Society, said, “We don’t do a good job of moderation.”
Smoking has gone down, but diabetes is on the rise. One of the main problems is that people weigh too much. It has become such a problem worldwide that there is a term for it - globesity. As a result, the World Diabetes Organization said 400 million people around the globe have the disease.
Diabetes has become so prevalent with youth that our children are at risk of not liv
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