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Up To 35 Percent Of Montanans At Risk For Type-2 Diabetes

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Blood sugar test

A study of government health surveys finds half of all U.S. adults now have diabetes or pre-diabetes.
"That's a pretty staggering number and in Montana we have data showing about 8.8 percent of adults in 2014 reported having a diagnosis of diabetes," says Sarah Brokaw who manages the state health department's Montana Diabetes Program. She's reacting to the diabetes analysis released this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"What's more alarming is that up to 35 percent of adults, or approximately 270,000 people in Montana probably are at risk for Type II diabetes, so they have something called pre-diabetes. Fortunately you can take action to prevent diabetes if you have that diagnosis."

Improved nutrition and more physical activity are two ways to help prevent diabetes.

Brokaw says Montana's diabetes rate is better than most other states, although the state's Native American population is diagnosed with the disease at about twice the rate of whites.

Edward O’Brien first landed at Montana Public Radio three decades ago as a news intern while attending the UM School of Journalism. He covers a wide range of stories from around the state.
edward.obrien@umt.edu.  
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