There has been a recent change in the face of type 2 diabetes in the United States. Type 2 diabetes has changed from a disease of our grandparents and parents to a disease of our children. As more and more children and young adults develop this devastating disease, it has become apparent that we have much to learn about who in the pediatric population is at risk to develop type 2 diabetes, why they develop this disease, how to treat it, and, most importantly, how to prevent this “new epidemic” from destroying future generations of Americans.
People with prediabetes are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Their blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. An estimated 79 million U.S. adults had prediabetes in 2010. This is a lifestyle disease that is largely preventable and highly treatable.
People with prediabetes who lose 5%–7% of body weight and get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58%.
Dr. Melanie L. Cooper is the Founder and CEO of Victory Over Diabetes. She is indeed a mover and a shaker in the medical community in metro Atlanta, GA. She is known as the no-nonsense doctor who is always willing to take risks to tackle tough problems.
First, Dr. Cooper started her medical career as a Family Medicine practitioner. However, as she continued practicing family medicine, she discovered a serious problem that was common to most of her patients. They were diabetic sufferers. Some even die from diabetes.
That didn’t settle well with her. it was time to declare war on diabetes. It was time to yet again tackle a tough problem. As a result, Dr. Cooper walked away from her family medicine practice. She embarked on a journey to eradicate and reverse diabetes.
