Petition: Support Americans with Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that impacts how the body turns sugar into energy.

People with diabetes have difficulty making, or using, a hormone called insulin.  Insulin is integral to controlling the amount of sugar in the bloodstream; storing glucose in the liver, fat, and muscles; and regulating carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism.  Without insulin, excess glucose in the bloodstream can cause  heart disease, vision loss, kidney disease, and other serious healthcare issues.

There are three types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational.  Type 1 diabetes, which affects 5–10% of the population with this disease, is currently unpreventable and likely tied to immune defects.  To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily.  Type 2 diabetes, thankfully, can be prevented or at least delayed with healthy lifestyle choices such as exercise, diet, and weight loss.  Gestational diabetes develops specifically in pregnant women.  While it typically subsides after childbirth, it can increase the likelihood that the mother, and the baby, will develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), over 34 million Americans have diabetes while 88 million are living with prediabetes. And of the Americans with prediabetes, nearly 75 million do not know they are at risk.  You can sign this petition to raise awareness about detection, management, and resources for diabetes, and to show your Support for the millions of Americans living with this disease.

To continue speaking up, sign these other petitions as well:

• Support OTC Hearing Aids
• Demand Universal Healthcare and Funding for Mental Health in the U.S.

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