Prevent type 2 diabetes with free class in Duluth

Are you at risk for type 2 diabetes? One in three Americans are - take the quiz at www.DoIHavePrediabetes.org to find out if you are one of them.

If you live in the Duluth area, a yearlong lifestyle change program beginning Aug. 2 is being offered free of charge to those with prediabetes. Read on for more information about the condition and the class.

To register, click here and search “diabetes” or contact Alisha Bradley at (218) 722-4745 ext. 135 or ABradley@duluthymca.org.

DPP class

Tuesdays beginning Aug. 2
5 – 6 p.m.
Harbor Highlands Community Center
1225 Harbor Highlands Drive, Duluth

Prediabetes occurs when blood sugar (glucose) levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diabetes. Fifteen to 30 percent of those cases progress to type 2 diabetes within five years. Making healthy lifestyle changes can prevent type 2 diabetes.

The DPP is a CDC-led, proven lifestyle change program that can help people with prediabetes cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes in half. A trained lifestyle coach works with participants to teach lifestyle skills needed to make lasting changes – like eating healthier, adding physical activity and managing stress.

The goal of this year-long program is for participants to lose 5 to 7 percent of their body weight and gain 150 minutes of weekly physical activity. Program participants meet a minimum of 16 times weekly in the first six months and then monthly over next six months. Take the quiz at DoIHavePrediabetes.org to find out if you have prediabetes.

The class, normally $429, is being offered free of charge by the Duluth Area YMCA with support from Essentia Health, Healthy Northland, the Minnesota Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.