Diabetes

Diabetes is an independent risk factor for heart disease.  It dramatically lowers life expectancy and can lead to very serious life threatening problems. Uncontrolled Diabetes can worsen the harmful effects of high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease. It can also lead to other serious problems such as kidney failure, vision loss, limb amputation and an overall decreased quality of life.

The increasing prevalence of obesity in the U.S. has contributed to an epidemic of diabetes. About 95% of diabetes cases are Type II Diabetes, which is strongly associated with obesity.

In 2003, Diabetes was the 4th leading cause of death in New York City (NYC). Over the past 10 years, the prevalence of diabetes has more than doubled among NYC adults. According to the city’s data, more than 200,000 additional adult New Yorkers have diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed- 1 in 8 adults. More than half of adult New Yorkers are overweight or obese, thereby increasing the risk of diabetes.

How are we doing in Northwest Brooklyn?

In Northwest Brooklyn, adults are less likely to have diabetes than those in Brooklyn and NYC overall (6% vs. 10% in Brooklyn and 9% in NYC). It's not perfect, but let’s keep up the good work!