Comments on: Are you at risk for type 2 diabetes?

By: Madeleine Kolb

Madeleine Kolb — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 18:25:44 +0000

Adena, It’s a quick and easy check. And going through the questions gives you a good sense of the risk factors and whether they are within your control (such as obesity) or not (such as age or ethnic background).

By: Adena Atkins

Adena Atkins — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 17:19:13 +0000

Hi Madeleine,

I took the test. Diabetes isn’t something I normally pay attention to, despite how common it is, because nobody in my family has it. But your post is compelling, so it felt good to check.

By: Madeleine Kolb

Madeleine Kolb — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:41:26 +0000

@ Angela, Thank you for your comment. Type 2 diabetes is growing out of control not only in the U.S. but also in some rapidly-developing countries. And what’s especially alarming is that it’s growing rapidly in people in their 20′s and 30′s, even their teens. If you take the short risk test above and click through to “Learn More,” you see a huge amount of information about the disease.

@Arvind, Much of it is related to a combination of poor diet which causes obesity and too little physical activity. (But there are exceptions. My main risk factor was “gestational diabetes” which occurs in about 4-6% of all pregnancies and of which the cause is unknown.)

The main thing though is not to blame anyone for being at risk or for having type 2 diabetes. The main thing is to make people aware of the risks so that they can prevent type 2 diabetes or manage if it if they already have it. And managing it, for the most part, means doing things you should do anyway, such as eating a healthful diet and getting plenty of physical activity.

By: Arvind Devalia

Arvind Devalia — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:38:03 +0000

This is a timely post Madeleine, as I was talking to a friend from the USA only last night and she mentioned how so many Americans were suffering from Diabetes and were not even aware of it.

So much of this “epidemic” is diet related and I really wonder how much attention is being given to raise awareness of people’s eating habits.

By: Angela Artemis

Angela Artemis — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:29:33 +0000

Madeleine, I’m glad your managing your diabetes. It is a most debilitating disease and so out of control in our society. Great information. Thank you.