Diabetes On the Rise In Missouri

by Mona Shand

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - In Missouri and across the nation it's American Diabetes Month.

It comes as the disease becomes more prevalent in the state and nationwide.

David Becker is a spokesman for the American Diabetes Association, which reports that about one in 10 Missouri adults has the disease and it can lead to kidney failure, blindness and amputations.

"There are a lot of co-morbid diseases as far as diabetes and cancer and heart disease," he points out. "It all kind of is interrelating."

Becker says about 95 percent of those people who have diabetes have Type 2, which healthier lifestyle choices with nutrition and physical activity can help prevent.

Becker notes that even some simple, small changes with healthy eating and regular exercise can yield big results.

"If you lose just 7 percent of your body weight, you can decrease your chances of getting diabetes by 58 percent," he stresses.

Missouri currently has the 16th highest adult obesity rate in the nation.

If the current trends don't change, it's estimated that by 2050, 30 percent of all Americans will have diabetes.