‘Sur-gah’ remains a danger for unwary adults

For years, they simply called it "sur-gah." I still remember those family holiday feasts when my grandmother prepared unsweetened side dishes for her sister and brother who "had sur-gah in their blood." More recently another relative miraculously survived a serious car accident after she lapsed into a diabetic coma, drove into a line of parked cars and totaled her vehicle. Until that moment, this 50-something woman was unaware that she had developed "sur-gah," or adult-onset diabetes.

The so-called "silent disease" is the sixth-leading cause of death by disease and disproportionately affects minorities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Joanne Gallivan, director of the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) at the National Institutes of Health, said 9.3 million of the 18 million Americans who have diabetes are women. An estimated 20 million Americans have a condition called "pre-diabetes" and that number is expected to rise to epidemic proportions.

Tomorrow, as part of National Minority Health Month, Ms. Gallivan and other health care professionals will be at Shiloh Baptist Church at Ninth and P streets NW to honor senior citizens and kick off a national diabetes-prevention campaign that targets minority groups and older Americans who are at higher risk of developing the costly disease.

"These seniors were chosen because they have made small steps to prevent diabetes," Ms. Gallivan said of the team leaders, who have been participating in the "Small Steps, Big Rewards" prevention campaign since its inception last year. Those seniors are "champions in their communities" for going back and spreading information about preventing the insidious insulin-related disease.

The Senior Citizens Club at Shiloh Baptist Church is a good example of the type of effort NDEP is promoting. Elois Lawson is the director of the program, which has met every Wednesday for 36 years. It includes exercise, a balanced meal and a guest speaker who stresses good health care.

"We're very happy to have the diabetes clinic at our church so we can tell our members," Mrs. Lawson said of the NDEP information. "That's what we're all about."

A landmark NIH study determined that people at increased risk for diabetes can prevent or delay the onset of the disease by losing 5 percent to 7 percent of their body weight by increasing their physical activity -- up to 30 minutes a day -- and reducing fat and calories in their diet.

Diabetes, the incidence of which has increased by 50 percent in the past decade, can lead to heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and the need for amputations.

Matching ethnic images, NDEP created public education messages tailored to specific ethnic and age groups.

Although minorities, who are at higher risk, are being targeted, all adults 45 and older -- especially those who are overweight -- will be encouraged to consult their doctors and get tested for pre-diabetes or diabetes. Besides ethnicity, other risk factors include high blood pressure or high cholesterol, a family history of the disease and an inactive lifestyle.

Health care professionals and providers are attempting to motivate people to adopt healthier lifestyles, in part to cut down on high medical costs of treating what they consider preventable diseases.

Tommy G. Thompson, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, will be making a similar pitch for preventative health care Thursday during the second annual "Steps to a Healthier U.S." summit in Baltimore.

Improving women's health is also gaining attention in light of Sunday's rally on the Mall, which called for increased access to quality health care for women, and the breast cancer walk to be held downtown this weekend.

Ms. Gallivan said that getting women, who have a slightly higher rate of diabetes, involved is important.

"Women are the key to getting the messages out that motivate their families to make lifestyle changes," she said.

It's true, she said, that many women shop, cook and prepare meals for their families, as well as schedule and chauffeur them to their doctors' appointments. All too often, however, women take better care of their loved ones than themselves.

It takes effort, energy and commitment to yourself, and others, to eat right, exercise, drink lots of water, take vitamins, get enough sleep and above all, meditate, pray or just plain relax for two seconds. We've forgotten how to take a breather. Yet if we don't become sweeter to ourselves, we won't be around to give our cherished ones tender, loving care.

The simplest, smartest lesson we aging baby boomers are learning is that we should have taken better care of our health during our youth.

The good news is that it's not too late. We can take small steps toward better health and a better quality of life. We may have to leave those special, sweet dishes alone so we don't end up with not-so-tasty "sur-gah."

For more information on the NDEP, call 800/438-5383 or log on to www.ndep.nih.gov.