November 2021 is National Diabetes Awareness month, a time to raise awareness of this chronic condition that can lead to heart disease, kidney disease, amputations, vision loss, and other serious health problems. Diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 34.2 million people are living with diabetes, roughly 10.5% of the U.S. population. Approximately 88 million Americans — more than 1 in 3 — are living with prediabetes, and more than 84% don’t even know they have it.
Diabetes is a global public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) around 422 million people worldwide have diabetes and 1.5 million deaths are directly attributed to diabetes each year. World Diabetes Day, November 14 provides an opportunity to increase awareness of diabetes as a global public health issue. World Diabetes Day is held on November 14 in honor of the birthday of Dr. Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin in 1921. The theme for World Diabetes Day 2021 is Access to Diabetes Care – If Not Now, When? As the discovery of insulin marks its 100-year anniversary, millions of people with diabetes lack the necessary care to manage their condition.
This Weekend Reading series begins with T. Ryder “I am a fat boy now and I feel fine.” – 100 Years of Insulin with articles on the discovery of insulin a century ago. Next explore Unequal Access addressing costs and other barriers facing patients in need of insulin. In The Battle Continues, check out some of the challenges and controversies surrounding diabetes treatments. Finally, do not miss Out of the Blue, with the “blue” stories and my personal favorite – Dozens of Shipwreck Discoveries Anticipated in New Marine Sanctuary.
I hope you enjoy the following:
1. T. Ryder “I am a fat boy now and I feel fine” — 100 Years of Insulin
- University of Toronto: A Life Saving Discovery is Born
- Clinical Chemistry: Insulin: Discovery and Controversy
- Medical Xpress: Insulin shows the importance of unrelated basic research in the development of medical treatment
- Diabetic Medicine: 100 years of insulin—enormous gratitude for my extra 65 years!
2. Unequal Access
- The Lancet: 100 years of insulin: a technical success but an access failure
- The Lancet: Origins of the insulin crisis: how a century of price-fixing controversies affects the cost of care today
- The Lancet: By any means necessary: why lowering insulin prices is relevant to racial health equity
3. The Battle Continues
- American Heart Association News: Up to half of new diabetes cases in the U.S. linked to obesity
- REUTERS: Diabetes surges among American youth, study shows
- REUTERS: Out of Control America’s losing battle against diabetes – Part 1: How the pandemic laid bare America’s diabetes crisis
- REUTERS: Out of Control America’s losing battle against diabetes – Part 2: Drug makers pushed aggressive diabetes therapy. Patients paid the price.
4. Out of the Blue
- SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN: Dozens of Shipwreck Discoveries Anticipated in New Marine Sanctuary
- CBS: Rare “cotton candy lobster” caught in Maine
- Smithsonian Magazine: Some Whales Can Eat Upwards of 16 Tons of Tiny Shrimp a Day
- The Atlantic: The Search for Intelligent Life Heads Underwater Researchers are using AI to try to communicate with whales
Enjoy your weekend!
Best,
Suzanne
Suzanne Daniels, Ph.D.
AEPC President
P.O. Box 1416
Birmingham, MI 48012
Office: (248) 792-2187
Email: [email protected]
