Diabetes and Obesity: Men, Women and Children

Remember when we said that November was jam-packed with health awareness issues? We still have lots to talk about. Today’s post is truly for everyone: men, women and children. It’s American Diabetes Month. Diabetes takes a toll on those who suffer from it directly, but the concerns about it resonate among those who don’t have it themselves.

Diabetes has modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors (just like breast cancer). It can run in families, but it can also jump in when health habits are poor. Just as we are vigilant with our own individual health, we can have a role in helping others. Parents, especially, can have a profound impact on their child’s likelihood of developing diabetes.

What’s shouldn’t come as a surprise is that the best health practices to reduce risk of one disease can reduce the risk of others. For instance, exercising, not smoking and limiting alcohol intake all reduce breast cancer risk. But they also reduce risk of diabetes. Hopefully parents aren’t wrestling with their kids’ alcohol or tobacco issues, but they can certainly play a strong role in diet and exercise. And this all starts with the very, very young.

Obesity one of the biggest culprits when it comes to endangering children’s health. With a high BMI, they are more likely to get diabetes (but there are things you can do!). According to a new study in the journal Pediatrics, young girls are more likely to enter puberty early (and early menarche is another risk factor for breast cancer).

The good news is that people ARE taking action. In states all over the country, there is indeed a MOVEment going – to get people up and about. It’s making a difference! There are so many ways to put yourself and you loved ones on the path to better health. You can even start with a walk.

Image credit: scaled by wader (via Flickr) Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Originally published 11/15/13 on mammographykc.com.