Diabetes alerts for seniors from Always Best Care Senior Services

November is National Diabetes Month. And, Michael Newman, president of Always Best Care Senior Services, wants to alert seniors about the risks they face with this insidious disease.

Newman encourages people to ask themselves the following questions, provided by the ADA, to determine if they may be at high risk for developing diabetes:

• Are you overweight? – An increase in body weight has a direct correlation with the onset of diabetes, so anyone who is over 45 and is overweight should be tested. If you have family members that are younger than 45, but are overweight and have additional risk factors, encourage them to see their physician.
• Does diabetes run in your family? – Quite simply, if other members of your family have diabetes, you have a greater likelihood of developing the condition. Other factors, including your family's race and ethnicity, also play a role. African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and people of Hispanic descent carry an increased risk.
• Are your numbers in range? – Abnormal blood pressure and cholesterol levels are both risk factors for developing diabetes. If your blood pressure measures 140/90 or higher, or if your triglyceride level is over 250, you should get tested for diabetes.

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, Newman says that you can work on preventing the onset of the disease by following the ADA's action steps:

• Lose Weight: Research has shown that people can delay and possibly prevent the occurrence of the disease by losing even a small amount of weight. Favorable results have been seen from a five to 10 percent reduction in body weight.
• Exercise: Hand in hand with weight loss, exercise plays a major role in diabetes prevention. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week.
• If You Smoke, Quit: Smoking has been shown to decrease the body's ability to utilize insulin. And, it seems that smoking actually causes blood sugar levels to increase.