The Coming Epidemic Called Diabetes

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in 1980 there were 6 million diabetics in the US. In 2011 there were 24 million diabetics, and that number is projected to at least double in the next 20 years.

Perhaps even more shocking is that there are an estimated 57 million pre-diabetics many of whom don’t know that they are a couple steps away from full blown diabetes.

This means that 40% of adults between the ages of 40 and 70 are diabetic or pre-diabetic. Take a look around, because almost half of everyone you see in that age range has a serious health issue looming. And I hate to say it, but diabetes is also coming for your children.

Diabetes is an ugly, devastating disease because it affects virtually every organ system in your body. Here are some diabetes related health risks you should be aware of:

 

• Increases your risk of death from heart disease by 2-4 times
• Increases your risk of stroke by 2-4 times
• The leading cause of blindness
• The leading cause of kidney failure
• The leading cause of limb amputations
• Causes birth defects in 5-10 % of pregnancies
• Causes spontaneous abortions in 15-20 % of pregnancies
• Increases the rate of sexual dysfunction in men and women
• Doubles your risk of premature death.

 

Now here is something you may not have known - diabetes and gum disease are intimately related. Gum disease makes diabetes worse, and diabetes makes gum disease worse. If you have bleeding gums or gum disease, then you have inflammation in your mouth, that increases your risk for many diseases - including diabetes. There is a well documented link between oral inflammation, obesity, and diabetes.

Here are some dentally related considerations:

 

• Diabetics are twice as likely to develop gum disease which in turn makes it more difficult for the diabetic to control blood sugar levels.
• Diabetics with severe gum disease have a premature death rate eight times higher than diabetics without gum disease.
• Diabetics with gum disease have 3 times the risk of dying from combined heart and kidney failure.
• Gum disease in diabetics is an accurate predictor of end-stage kidney disease.
• Gum disease increases the likelihood that pre-diabetes will progress to full blown diabetes.
• The rate of tooth loss in diabetics is 15 times higher than in non-diabetics.

 

Diabetes will impact you at some point in your life, either directly or indirectly. Of this you can be sure. And would you like to hear something really SHOCKING? Here it is...

90% of type 2 diabetes cases are completely preventable!

 

That’s right - according to the Harvard School of Public Health, more than 92% of diabetes could be avoided by diet and lifestyle changes. This means that YOU have the power to virtually eliminate the risk for diabetes and all of these complications for you and your loved ones.

So now you know the truth. If you get diabetes which leads to heart disease, stroke, blindness, and kidney failure, it's mostly because of choices you made. Your current level of health (other than genetic disease or serious accident) is based mainly on the choices you have made in the past, and are currently making everyday.

You can bury your head in the sand, you can blame your health problems on someone or something else. OR, you can make different choices starting right now.

One of these choices is whether you will do what it takes to eliminate gum disease and inflammation in your mouth. If you are pre diabetic or diabetic, you are in a much higher risk category for losing your teeth due to gum disease. And if you have gum disease, this is further increasing your risk for diabetes related health problems.

You can easily find out if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic with simple blood tests by your physician. I urge you to do it.

Studies show that up to 75% of adults have mouth inflammation. You don't need to be one of them. You can easily be screened for oral inflammation and gum disease. I urge you to know where you stand with the health of your gums.

The bad news is that we are in the middle of a diabetes epidemic. The good news is that you can start taking steps TODAY to limit the risk for you and your loved ones.