That's partially because the symptoms of type 2 diabetes-such as increased urination and thirst, dry mouth, unusual fatigue, and blurred vision-are easily looked over or attributed to other problems. Furthermore, the CDC reports that 1 out of every 4 people with diabetes-an estimated 8 million people-have no idea they're living with the disease. Pick up some knowledge and then continue to improve your life by ditching these harmful habits: the 50 Little Things Making You Fatter and Fatter.ġ If You Have Diabetes, It'll Be Obvious by Your Symptoms ShutterstockĪs we mentioned earlier, 9 in 10 people-77 million Americans-with prediabetes have no idea they have it. In honor of National Diabetes Awareness Month, we tapped Elizabeth Snyder, a registered dietician and certified diabetes educator at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center for her expert advice to dispel the top myths surrounding treating diabetes. But rather than looking at self-management as an unfortunate burden of your diagnosis, Lori Zanini, RD, CDE and author of the recently published Eat What You Love Diabetes Cookbook, says the fact that diabetes is a condition that is largely self-managed can be empowering It allows you to play a key role in your treatment.
And for those who don't properly control their condition, the odds of health issues-which range from cardiovascular issues to nerve damage and kidney failure-increases exponentially.īesides those who are unaware they have prediabetes or diabetes, even those who receive a diagnosis are often left scratching their heads when it comes to improving their health. Currently, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. According to research in the Zero Sugar Diet, diabetics are up to four times more likely than people without diabetes to die of heart disease or experience a life-threatening stroke.