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U of U Health and Intermountain Healthcare team up for an important health concern

Posted at 2:32 PM, Nov 26, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-26 16:32:16-05

November is Diabetes Awareness Month.  Diabetes is such an important health concern to our community that University of Utah Health and Intermountain Healthcare are teaming up to talk about prevention.

In the United States diabetes is diagnosed every 21 seconds, resulting in 30.3 million Americans with diabetes.  And 84.1 million Americans have prediabetes and many don't know they have it.  Prediabetes is a series health concern because it increases your risk of type 2 diabetes and your risk of developing heart disease.

Type 2 diabetes is often preventable.  If you have prediabetes, losing weight by eating healthy and increasing physical activity can cut your risk in half.  Focus on increased fruit, veggies, legumes, nuts and whole grains.  Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages.  And - it is important to increase your physical activity.  It's recommended you get 150 minutes a week of moderate activity like a brisk walk. Adequate sleep is also important (7-9 hours a night for adults).

Both U of U Health and Intermountain Healthcare have Diabetes Prevention Programs.

Just the Facts about Prediabetes (a free video series) can be found at: healthcare.utah.edu/wellness/prediabetes.php.  You can also find the CDC-recognized Utah National Diabetes Prevention program on the website.  The program consists of 24, hour-long sessions over 12 months and covers science-based education and lifestyle changes.  As part of the program you will learn about healthy food choices and build physical activity into your life.

At Intermountain you can take Prediabetes 101 - a free two-hours class or watch videos at Intermountainhealthcare.org/prediabetes.  They also offer individual nutrition counseling with a registered dietitian and Weigh-to-Health, Intermountain's CDC-recognized prevention program.

You can get more information at U of U Health or Intermountain Healthcare.