Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have type 2 diabetes, your body can’t use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood.

Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition. It can lead to health issues such as heart attack; stroke; blindness; kidney failure; or loss of toes, feet, or legs.

Prediabetes is a blood glucose (sugar) level that is higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. One in three American adults has prediabetes, and most do not even know they have it. If you have prediabetes and do not lose weight or do moderate physical activity, you may develop type 2 diabetes within 3 years.

You are at increased risk for developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes if you:

• Are 45 years of age or older
• Are overweight
• Have a family history of type 2 diabetes
• Are physically active fewer than three times per week
• Ever had diabetes while pregnant which disappeared after the delivery (gestational diabetes) or gave birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds.

If you think you may be at risk, a health care provider can do a blood test to see if you have diabetes or prediabetes. Take the survey.

Yes! Hearing your doctor say, “You’re at risk for type 2 diabetes,” or “You have prediabetes,” means that you can start preventing type 2 diabetes today. And you do not have to do it alone. Finding a local or virtual National Diabetes Prevention program can be the first step on the journey. If you have prediabetes, now is the time for prevention. Click here for Survey Locations. If you are not near one of these programs, there are virtual or online programs that can help, too. Find a program near you by clicking here.

All of these programs can help you take charge of your health to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.

National Diabetes Prevention Program

Groups meet once a week for 16 weeks, then once a month for 6 months to maintain healthy lifestyle changes. During each session, your lifestyle coach will teach a lesson and lead a group discussion.

For example, you will learn to:

• Eat healthy
• Add physical activity to your life
• Manage stress
• Stay on track when eating out

Lifestyle coaches who have the experience and training to help you reach your goals run Missouri’s National Diabetes Prevention Programs. Your lifestyle coach will help you:

• Learn the facts about healthy eating and physical activity and explain how these behaviors will help reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes
• Set and meet your goals
• Build relationships with 
other participants
• Work as a group to meet challenges
• Understand and respond to your food cues
• Stay motivated
• Solve problems that can get in the way of healthy changes

Click here to see Julie’s story.

Other stories from real folks can be found by clicking here.

[Other stories from real folks are at: http://www.gwrymca.org/real-stories/]

For more information about the curriculum, go to www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention.

The National DPP is and evidence-based program proven to help people with prediabetes prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

By participating in the National DPP, you will work with other participants and a trained lifestyle coach to learn the skills you need to make lasting changes. These changes include losing a modest amount of weight, being more physically active, and managing stress.

Being part of a group provides support from other people who are facing similar challenges and trying to make the same changes you are. Together you can celebrate successes and find ways to overcome obstacles.

Each program features

• Trained lifestyle coach
• CDC-approved curriculum
• Group support
• 16 weekly meetings
• 6 monthly follow-up meetings

Yes! In fact, these programs can help people with prediabetes cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes in half. The Diabetes Prevention Program research study showed that making modest behavior changes helped participants lose 5 to 7 percent of their body weight — that is 10 to 14 pounds for a person weighing 200 pounds. These lifestyle changes reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58 percent in people with prediabetes.