YMCA Program Proves Successful in Easing Diabetes Risks

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Many Latinos are at a high risk of suffering from type 2 diabetes. Nearly 17% of all Latinos living in the United States dealt with diabetes. The prevalence also rises dramatically with age as more than 50% of Latino women and more than 44% of Latino men will deal with diabetes by the time they reach 70 years of age.

Recently, a program by the YMCA was conducted in which participants at risk of developing diabetes lost nearly 5% of their overall body weight. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) gave the YMCA nearly $12 million in 2011 to launch the program and it has proved successful enough to expand. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell called the program “a milestone for prevention and America’s health.”

The program included nutrition and fitness counseling and lifestyle coaching for Medicare recipients. Losing 5% of your body weight is enough to substantially reduce the risk of diabetes. CMS plans to release the details of the programs expansion this summer.

Read more about the program here.

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