Diabetes Education*

Nikki Klein is a CDE (certified diabetes educator) and can help you in managing your Type 2 diabetes through diet.

In addition, research has also shown that if you take action to manage your blood glucose when you have pre-diabetes, you can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes from ever developing. One of the ways to take action is through changing and managing your diet.

What Is a CDE?

A CDE is a certified diabetes educator. CDEs may be nurses, dietitians, doctors, pharmacists, podiatrists, counselors, or exercise physiologists. These professionals all work in some way to teach or care for people with diabetes. They may work in hospitals, clinics, diabetes centers, or private offices.

To become a CDE, a health care professional must pass a national test. The test covers physiology, drug treatment, blood glucose testing, complications, mental health issues, and teaching/learning principles. CDEs must pass a recertification test every 5 years. When you see the letters CDE after a health care professional's name, you know the person is specially trained in the care and treatment of people with diabetes.

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.

There are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 6.2 million people (or nearly one-third) are unaware that they have the disease.

Diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States. Since 1987 the death rate due to diabetes has increased by 45 percent, while the death rates due to heart disease, stroke, and cancer have declined.

Based on death certificate data, diabetes contributed to 224,092 deaths in 2002. Studies indicate that diabetes is generally under-reported on death certificates, particularly in the cases of older persons with multiples chronic conditions such as heart disease and hypertension. Because of this, the toll of diabetes is believed to be much higher than officially reported.

Many people first become aware that they have diabetes when they develop one of its serious and life-threatening complications such as:

Treating diabetes

Diabetes Resources

National Diabetes Fact Sheet (PDF)
This is the official Fact Sheet developed jointly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the American Diabetes Association, and other partners. The Fact Sheet is the authoritative source of information, statistics, and national estimates on diabetes in the United States.

American Diabetes Association

* Information provided from the American Diabetes Association website - http://www.diabetes.org/home.jsp