That's Fit

No, this post isn't referring to the percentage of people with dusty gym equipment yawning in their basements -- I suspect that number is a bit higher. According to newly released statistics, around eight percent of Americans have diabetes. Eight percent. Coming from a strong family history of type 1 diabetes (both my brothers and parents), this statistic depresses me. Even worse, nearly one in four of the 60 years and older group had diabetes in 2007.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the new diabetes stats yesterday, based on 2007 data. About 24 million Americans now have diabetes, three million more people than in 2005. Possibly another 57 million are walking around with suspect blood sugars, called prediabetes, which means they're at increased risk for the disease down the line.

The good news? People unaware of their diabetes fell from 30 percent to 25 percent. That is a positive -- walking around with high blood sugars too long can cause serious complications. The CDC further reported that diabetes rates were highest among American Indians and Alaska Natives (16.5 percent), followed by blacks, Hispanics, Mexican Americans, Cubans, Asian Americans and whites. Stay fit, eat healthy and next time you see a 5K race to support diabetes research, sign-up and raise some cash for an important cause that impacts eight percent of the nation.