29929929 7277977297 PP2PTI22772777 222222222222227 2222292997727 FF F9 92992299997999 97988288778 FFF PD PDFFF 2722 22222222992 Type 2 Diabetes: Take The Portion Control Quiz (NAPSA)—One of the best things a person with diabetes (or someone at risk for diabetes) can do to prevent complications and improve their health is lose weight. Being obese or overweight is a leading risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes, and contributes to heart disease, stroke, and even somecancers. The American Diabetes Association recently introduced Weight Loss Matters, an education effort aimed to increase awareness about the health risks associated with being overweight or obese. According to a recent ADA survey conducted as part of the initiative, many overweight and obese Americans do not believe they are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Even though more than half of the overweight or obese respondents knew that being overweight or obese is a leading risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, an alarming 59 percent of them maintained that they were not at personal risk for the disease. The survey also showed that individuals appear to be taking steps to maintain a healthy weight. However, when it comes to diet and exercise, misconceptions abound about portion size and exercise—key components of weight loss. For instance, 72 percent of people surveyed reported feeling confident in their ability to identify portion sizes, but only 23 percent actually knew the correct portion size for servings of protein, carbohydrate and dairy as determined by the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. With portion sizes in America growing significantly, Test Your Knowledge: Canyou identify the approximate serving sizes below? fp 1 senvine of Dany Portion control is an important part of losing weight and lowering your risk for diabetes. portion control is a key component of a weight losseffort. Whether the goal is to lose weight or to maintain it, calories count. The good newsis that when a person limits the numberofcalories consumed each day, they don’t need to cut out favorite foods. It’s a matter of knowing how much to cut back on the serving size. This is knownas portion control. See how you compare to those who answered the survey by taking the portion control quiz. The Weight Loss Matters campaign, which is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Abbott Laboratories, includes a five part brochure series, as well as a monthly series of tip sheets on the ADA Website. To learn more about Weight Loss Matters, visit www.diabetes. org/WeightLossMatters, or call 1- 800-DIABETES(1-800-342-2383).
