American Diabetes Association Alert Day is designed to recognize and help diabetics. This national day was founded in 1986 and is celebrated on March 24.

On American Diabetes Association Alert Day, diabetics and medical professionals are given an opportunity to educate the general public about the severity of the disease. People can take a diabetes risk test to learn about their family’s diabetic background.

In America, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death . Type 2 Diabetes accounts for 90% – 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes; type 1 diabetes accounts for the remaining 5% – 10%. Diabetes affects 34.2 million people in America. This equates to about 10.5% of the United States population (CDC) .

There are ways to prevent Type 2 Diabetes. According to National Day Calendar, you can:

• Eliminate sugar and refined carbs
• Work out regularly and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle
• Make water the primary beverage
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Not smoke
• Eat a high fiber diet
• Optimize Vitamin D levels
• Take natural herbs, such as curcumin and berberine, that increase insulin sensitivity

American Diabetes Association Alert Day can be celebrated by doing blood checks and speaking to your doctor about this disease. There’s also a downloadable nutrition color page you can print off to use at home when teaching younger siblings or other children about diabetes or nutrition in general.

Don’t forget to use the hashtag #AmericanDiabetesAssociationAlertDay on social media to spread the word about the tools open to everyone to assess and handle their health risks!