When is American Diabetes Association Alert Day?
The fourth Tuesday in March is American Diabetes Association Alert Day.
What is American Diabetes Association Alert Day?
There’s sugar in your blood. To be exact, it’s glucose. If blood sugar can’t get into your cells, it creates a host of problems, and we call that condition diabetes. American Diabetes Association Alert Day spreads the word about diabetes to help people catch it early.
People with diabetes have too much blood sugar. Insulin helps glucose move from your blood to your cells, but diabetics have trouble producing insulin, or even using it. High blood sugar can produce heart disease, nerve damage, kidney disease, or even eye problems, just to name a few issues.
Prediabetes is a shot across the bow. It’s a warning that, unless you change your lifestyle, you’ll get diabetes.
Alert Day calls us to action. If you know the risk factors and find yourself in danger of diabetes, you can change your lifestyle and maybe prevent it. American Diabetes Association Alert Day is a great day to take the test and find out how you stack up.
Facts about American Diabetes Association Alert Day!
- Almost 10% of Americans had diabetes in 2015.
- Some women get gestational diabetes when pregnant. It usually goes away the pregnancy, but these ladies are more likely to get Type 2 diabetes.
- Most people with prediabetes—9 out of 10—don’t realize they are headed that direction.
- It’s a myth that insulin makes people go blind, but high glucose levels can damage the retina.
How to celebrate American Diabetes Association Alert Day:
Learn the risk factors of diabetes. Take an online test to see if you’re at risk, and encourage your network to do the same.
What’s the hashtag for American Diabetes Association Alert Day?
Use #AmericanDiabetesAssociationAlertDay on social media to get the word out.