When is diabetes awareness month

Get to the Heart of Heart Disease February 01, Here are a few quick and easy changes you can begin today! Pay attention to nutrition labels and opt for items with a daily sodium value of 5 percent or less. Use spices like garlic or onion powder, chili or herbs instead of salt, to add flavor. Get Moving Make physical activity a part of your daily life; obesity is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Start with 15 minutes of brisk walking at least 3 to 4 days a week. Know Your Numbers Maintain a healthy weight—losing just 10 pounds, if you are overweight, can lower your risk of heart disease. Drink alcohol in moderation: at most, one drink a day for women, two for men. Keep an eye on your cholesterol and blood pressure, and talk to your PCP about how to lower both. Alter Your Patterns Switch to non- or low-fat dairy products. Opt for fish, chicken without skin, and lean cuts of beef or pork.

Quit smoking. Interview: Under the Microscope Ronald B. Goldberg, M. Norma S. Kenyon, Ph. Thomas Malek, Ph. Daniel H. Mintz, M. Bresta Miranda, M. Ricardo Pastori, Ph. Alberto Pugliese, M. Jay S. Skyler, M. The IDF encourages people to use this hashtag to underscore the urgency of providing diabetes care to people around the world who need it.

It also has a Blue Circle Selfie app for download on iPhones and Android devices that lets you superimpose a powder blue circle — the universal symbol for diabetes — on the selfies that you post on social media. Diabetes Awareness Month is a perfect time to use your voice to push for policies that can save lives.

The largest diabetes-focused organizations are set up so that you can easily start your journey in advocacy online, signing petitions and sending messages to your local elected officials.

The organization claims that more than , advocates around the country have helped build a movement to support key diabetes priorities in Congress, state legislatures, and legal advocacy. Its focus includes diabetes research and programs, healthcare, insulin affordability , rights and protections relating to COVID for people with diabetes, diabetes prevention , and support for people living with and affected by diabetes.

Visit its advocacy page to get involved. Similarly, the JDRF encourages the public to call for federal funding of diabetes research, and the organization helps inform health and regulatory policy, such as those relating to affordable access to insulin, Medicare coverage, and insurance coverage for preexisting conditions.

Visit its page for advocacy to start the process. Sharing your diabetes story is a great way to show support and help others who may also be living with the disease. You can share your personal story of living with diabetes by filling out this form. The ADA regularly shares such stories to its blog. Here is an example of how they are presented:. But even so, he was already living on his own when his dad was diagnosed, so he only knew about his dad cutting out certain foods and taking his meds.

If you would like to a have a direct role in finding better treatments, or even a cure, for diabetes, consider volunteering for a clinical trial. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has a database through which you can find diabetes clinical trials that are seeking participants. Click on each study headline to get details about participating. Before you sign up, consider watching a series of informational videos about clinical research participation provided by the U.

The ADA also has a page listing clinical trials for which it is a supporter. Meanwhile, the JDRF has a clinical trial matching tool for people with type 1 diabetes who would like to find a study to participate in.

Online support groups can be a healing way for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes to share tips and stories. Access campaign materials and find out how you can get involved.

New figures from the 10th Edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas reveal that million adults around the world are living with diabetes. The development of therapeutic insulin in was a landmark breakthrough in the history of medicine. Check out our dedicated platform and share your diabetes story.

The first step to preventing type 2 diabetes is knowing your risk.