Diabetes Alert Day

March 24 has been deemed Diabetes Alert Day by the American Diabetes Association.

The American Diabetes Association is using March 24 as a "wake-up call" for people to take action and know their risk for developing diabetes.

March 24 is Alert Day, an initiative to get as many Americans as possible to take a type two diabetes risk test online.

An estimated 29 million people in the U.S. are living with diabetes, and another 86 million have pre-diabetes. Sometimes, they don't catch it for seven to ten years after the onset of the disease.

"It's very important to have your diabetes diagnosed, because once you have that, you can manage it," says Dr. George King, research director of the Joslin Center for Diabetes in Boston.

People who are especially at risk are overweight, under-active and over the age of 45. A family history of the disease, sleep deprivation and stress are also risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes.

"Be active and control your weight. Nutrition is critical," says Dr. King.

With the Alert Day campaign, which continues through April, the American Diabetes Association hopes to get people thinking about prevention and making healthy life choices.

If you want to take the free risk test, it's available online year-round. Just click here

Contact Us