The holiday season is here, a time when many people gather with family and friends to celebrate and eat great food. With all the celebrations, it can be easy to overindulge, but it is important, especially for people with diabetes and prediabetes, to be mindful of what we are eating.

 

Diabetes is a chronic disease that is more common now than ever before. In fact, according to a recent study, by 2050 approximately 1.3 billion people around the world will have diabetes.

 

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is the most common type of diabetes – a disease where a person has high levels of blood sugar or “glucose” in the body.  Every person has blood sugar, but people with T2D have higher amounts. If a person does not manage their T2D, it can damage their heart, kidneys, eyes, and feet.

 

Prediabetes is a condition where blood sugar is higher than normal, but not yet T2D. Doctors measure blood sugar using a lab test called the Hemoglobin A1C, which determines if the amount of blood sugar is normal (less than 5.7), in the prediabetes range (between 5.7 and 6.4) or at the level of diabetes (more than 6.5).

 

Prediabetes can be a scary diagnosis, but it’s a great opportunity to start healthy habits – like modifying your diet and doing regular exercise. These changes can lower your blood sugar to the normal amounts and prevent the development of T2D! The most important step is to maintain a healthy weight or lose some weight.

 

This will also help lower your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, gallstones, breathing problems, and certain cancers. Research shows that losing even a small amount of weight (5-7% of total weight) is enough to greatly lower or delay the chance of getting T2D. For example: 5-7% of the weight of a 200lb person is 10 to 14 pounds – an achievable amount for many people.

 

A program sponsored by the CDC and available in many communities is called the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) – it is a series of group classes that teaches participants skills to eat healthier, exercise more and reduce their blood sugar. The two main goals of the program are: 1) lose 5-7% of total body weight and 2) exercise for 150 minutes or more each week. NDPP is very effective. Participants who finished the program and did the recommended behaviors were less likely to develop T2D in the future, compared to people who did not do NDPP.

 

Montefiore and Einstein are proud to run NDPP classes for our patients with prediabetes, where trained facilitators oversee the year-long classes. Participants learn about topics like healthy eating and cooking, exercise, stress management, sleep, social support and more. They track the food and beverages they consume in a daily log along with minutes and type of exercise. The NDPP group classes allow participants to bond over shared experiences, goals, and accomplishments. We will be starting a new class soon! If you are interested in NDPP or prediabetes in general, please email: healtheducation@montefiore.org

 

Montefiore is also hosting a series of educational activities and events throughout November, including nutrition workshops, screening events and a diabetic foot ulcer expo, to raise awareness about the condition and possible complications, as well as share diet and lifestyle guidance with the community. The calendar of events can be found here: https://www.montefiore.org/diabetes-month-events and is also available in Spanish.

 

Let’s use November to learn more about diabetes and prediabetes and start implementing some meaningful changes that can improve our overall health.

 

Claire Garon MPH, CHES is a senior health educator at the Office of Community & Population Health at Montefiore Health System.