March 28 is Diabetes Alert Day -A one-day “wake-up call” to the danger of diabetes and the importance of understanding your risk

As popular diabetes drugs take social media by storm as quick fixes for weight loss, experts warn, not only is there no magic pill when it comes to losing weight, but this off-label use can actually backfire, possibly doubling the weight that was lost, once the medication is stopped. 

According to the National Institute of Health, more than 2 in 5 adults are obese. With obesity linked to the rising cases of  diabetes, this statistic is a major cause for concern. 

“There is no quick fix for losing weight in a healthy way, that is the one thing we know for sure,” says Dr. Colette M. Knight, chair of the Inserra Family Diabetes Institute and director of the Hackensack University Medical Center’s endocrinology division. “But you can learn to manage your weight and ultimately reduce your risk for diseases, like diabetes, in a way that is healthy for the long term.”

At Hackensack University Medical Center’s MOLLY Diabetes Education/Management Center for Adults and Children patients receive the most up-to-date, effective methods of diabetes treatment and management including the information, skills, and tools needed to live a healthy, productive, and satisfying lives.

“You don’t have to cut everything that you love out of your diet, you just have to learn what to eat and drink when,” explains Toni Isabella, Manager of the Center, who says it is also important for people to learn how stress and sleep can also impact diabetes. “Working with the specialists at the MOLLY Center, the knowledge and advice they provide, can actually help put diabetes into remission.”

Advice that includes how to be smart with snacks; cut down on added sugars; add exercise to your daily routine,  choose healthy carbs; and so much more to help manage healthy blood sugar levels. 

If you or someone you love may have prediabetes or if you could use help managing type 1 or type 2 diabetes, please call and book an appointment today by clicking here.

For more information on diabetes management services offered at Hackensack University Medical Center contact Mary McGeever, PR manager, 551-795-1675 or [email protected].