Diabetes & Black Women

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. We want you to be informed and ready to do what it takes to stay healthy and to empower as many other women to do the same. 

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. As of 2015, 30.3 million people in the United States, or 9.4 percent of the population, had diabetes. It affects 1 in 4 people over the age of 65, and about 90%-95% percent of cases in adults are type 2 diabetes. The fact is that Black women experience a higher rate of diabetes due to issues such as high blood pressure, obesity, and sedentary lifestyles. Type II or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus affects about 16 million American people. Among African American women, this form of diabetes has reached epidemic proportions. 

However, diabetes is a manageable disease in which any individual  can use lifestyle changes to modify their daily nutritional intake, have regular check ups with their doctors, be physically active and maintain a healthy weight.

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You can learn more abut diabetes by visiting the American Diabetes Association and you can also take their  60-Second Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test. To be informed is to be empowered.