Eugene (KMTR) – Medical studies show one in three Americans will be diabetics, by 2050.It’s a shocking statistic but a new program at the Eugene YMCA aims to make a difference.
Research shows that by eating healthy, exercising and losing a small amount of weight, a person with pre-diabetes can delay the development of type 2 diabetes by almost 60%
The YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program covers a wide variety of topics during 16 one-hour sessions. At the end of the course, program coordinator Kari Porter says she sees huge differences in the participants.
“They're just feeling good” Porter says, “You can see the spirit in their eyes, the willingness to try some new things. Some of our participants have gotten out of their shell of not wanting to exercise with others and suddenly finding a Zumba class.”
Diabetes runs in Marshall Peter’s family. He decided to take control of his health by joining the program. So far, he's lost 40 pounds.
“I’m in between sizes right now. I put clothes away and got rid of a bunch,” Peter said, “Iwas really surprised by the amount of unconscious eating I was doing.”
Around 79 million people have pre-diabetes but only 10% of them are aware of it.
A new Diabetes Prevention class starts on November 29. Participants must be over 18 years old.
