VMH to present Diabetes Prevention Program in Monona

Veterans Memorial Hospital’s Diabetes Self-Management Education Program will again be offering a free educational program on “Diabetes Prevention.”  The hospital’s diabetes staff will be hosting a program in Monona Monday, September 29 at the Monona Community Center from 6-7:30 p.m.  Teresa Myers, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator, and Shelby Byrnes, RD/LD, Dietitian, will be teaching all those attending how to reduce the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes.
Pre-Diabetes is a condition that comes before Type-2 diabetes when blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal but aren’t high enough to be called diabetes. It is a silent disease, meaning someone can have it without even knowing it. Cutting back on calories and fat, being physically active and losing weight can reverse pre-diabetes and therefore delay or prevent Type-2 diabetes.
As a person gets older, especially if they are overweight, their chances of having pre-diabetes increases. Risk factors for diabetes include being overweight, being physically inactive, or having a parent, brother or sister with diabetes. African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Hispanic Americans, those who have had a baby weighing more than nine pounds or have had gestational diabetes, have high blood pressure (over 140/90) or have low HDL cholesterol (35 mg/dl or lower) or high triglycerides (250 mg/dl or higher) are also at risk for diabetes. Physicians should check blood glucose levels if their patient is 45 or older and overweight, or under age 45 and overweight and have other risk factors for diabetes.
Additional diabetes prevention programs will be held throughout the year.  To register for this free Diabetes Prevention Program in Monona September 29, call Teresa Myers, RN, CDE, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.