San Antonians Sound The Alarm on National ‘Diabetes Alert Day’

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Diabetes continues to be one of the leading causes of death, affecting the lives of Texans and Latinos all across the U.S.

Latinos in Texas are nearly 2x as likely to die of diabetes compared to whites, after adjusting for age. In 2017, 12.2% of Latinos in Texas had diabetes vs. 10.2% of non-Latino whites.

Of greater concern is the fact that up to 600,000 of Texans do not even know they have the disease.

March 27 is Diabetes Alert Day

On March 27, 2018 several communities, including many health advocates in San Antonio, TX will be working to inform the community about this disease.

Diabetes must be taken serious, but we need your help!

To take action we invite you to participate in the following activities:

• Take the diabetes risk test (available in English and Spanish) ;
• Join local activities to raise awareness on March 27, 2018;
• Spread the word on social media!

In San Antonio, diabetes alert day events will take place at the following locations

• Humana Guidance Center from 3-7 pm.
• UT Health San Antonio, Medical Arts Research Center (MARC), 1st floor, 10:30am-1pm 

To attend Humana’s free event, register here! Participants will enjoy raffles and receive information on free grocery store tours available at local H-E-B stores.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not make insulin or the body cannot properly use insulin making it hard for the cells in the body to get energy.  If the cells of the body starve by not getting energy from food in time life threatening situations can occur, according to University Health system. Some of the signs of diabetes are excessive thirst, tiredness, cuts or sores that heal slowly, sexual problems, and headaches, among others.

About 14.2% of adults in Bexar County (where San Antonio is located) were diagnosed with diabetes in 2014. Obesity, lack of physical activity, and poor nutrition can lead to diabetes in the long run. Obesity is one of the primary risk factors for type 2 diabetes. However, social determinants of health like poverty, language barriers, and poor access to care can put Latinos at risk for Diabetes, according to one study.

“Latino patients with diabetes, even when insured and facing relatively low barriers to healthcare, are much more likely to have poor medication adherence than their white counterparts,” said lead study author Dr. Alicia Fernandez, a researcher at San Francisco General Hospital and the University of California, San Francisco.

The Search for a Cure

Drs. Bruno Doiron and Ralph DeFronzo from UT Health San Antonio are working on a potential cure for type 1 diabetes. Their approach increases insulin producing cells, but the tests have only been done in mice according to UT Health San Antonio news.

“It worked perfectly,” Dr. Doiron, said. “We cured mice for one year without any side effects. But it’s a mouse model, so caution is needed. We want to bring this to large animals that are closer to humans in physiology of the endocrine system.”

This discovery can bring major advances over traditional insulin therapy and may eventually be used to treat type II diabetes.

Take the cdc’s prediabetes risk test here

Spread the Word About Diabetes Alert Day!

If you haven’t already shared this information with your friends, family and co-workers join us in doing so!

Help spread the word using the following social media messages:

Facebook

• One in three Americans is at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Learn your risk in 60 seconds by taking the American Diabetes Association Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test for #AlertDaySA on March 27. http://www.DiabetesResourcesGuide.com/alert
• On March 27, [organization name] is joining the American Diabetes Association for a one-day wake-up call about the prevalence and risks of type 2 diabetes, #AlertDaySA. Take the one-minute Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test and find out if you are at risk. http://www.DiabetesResourcesGuide.com/alert
• It’s simple—diabetes is a BIG deal, and today, March 27, is American Diabetes Association #AlertDaySA. Please share the Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test with your family and friends and encourage them to learn their risk for diabetes. http://www.DiabetesResourcesGuide.com/alert

Twitter

• The @AmDiabetesAssn annual #AlertDaySA is March 27! Take the #Type2Diabetes Risk Test now: http://www.DiabetesResourcesGuide.com/alert
• One in three Americans is at risk for developing #type2diabetes. Chances are, someone you love is at risk. Share the risk test for @AmDiabetesAssn #AlertDaySA: http://www.DiabetesResourcesGuide.com/alert
• With 84 million Americans at risk for developing #type2diabetes, help your loved ones learn their risk. Share the risk test for @AmDiabetesAssn #AlertDaySA: http://www.DiabetesResourcesGuide.com/alert

Learn more about how sugary drinks and poor nutrition may put Latino kids at risk of having an unhealthy weight in Salud America’s research review on this topic.