OTHELLO - During November, National Diabetes Awareness Month, ask yourself if you're at risk for diabetes and then take steps to prevent it.

Diabetes affects 26 million Americans, with 19 million people diagnosed and an estimated seven million more undiagnosed. You have a higher risk of developing diabetes if you have a family member - mother, father, brother, sister - who has or had diabetes.

There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1 is juvenile-onset diabetes which accounts for about five percent of all diagnosed cases. Type 2 diabetes is adult-onset diabetes which accounts for about 90-95 percent of all diagnosed cases.

Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy.

The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn't make enough insulin or can't use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood.

You are at increased risk for developing diabetes if you are 45 years of age or older, are overweight, have a family history of diabetes, are physically active fewer than three times per week, have ever given birth to a baby that weighed more than nine pounds or if you had gestational diabetes while you were pregnant.

Regular physical exams will help your medical provider determine whether you have diabetes or at risk of developing it.

Research shows that lifestyle changes such as losing weight combined with regular exercise helps people lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It also helps people manage their diabetes once they are diagnosed.

The National Diabetes Education Program's slogan for 2014 is "Be Smart about Your Heart: Control the ABCs of Diabetes."

"A" stands for the AIC blood test that measures your average blood sugar level over the past three months.

"B" is for Blood Pressure, which is the force of your blood against the wall of your blood vessels.

"C" stands for cholesterol (there are two kids of cholesterol in your blood: LDL and HDL. LDL is "bad" cholesterol which can build up and clog your blood vessels.

The s encourages us to "Stop Smoking".

You are encouraged to contact your medical provider to learn why the Diabetes ABCs are important to manage. He or she will also help you set your goals to improve your health.