[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11857]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             DIABETES STUDY

 Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I wish to draw attention to a study 
by the University of Florida on diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease 
that affects the body's blood glucose levels. Diabetic Americans have 
too much glucose in their blood, which can lead to serious health 
problems. In addition to the large number of Americans who suffer from 
diabetes, the disease is one of the costliest chronic diseases and, 
currently, about 1-in-3 Medicare dollars is spent on people with 
diabetes.
  This study, led by Dr. Todd Manini of the University of Florida's 
Institute on Aging, suggests a correlation between the amount of time 
people spend sitting and their risk of developing diabetes later in 
life. The findings from this study are alarming, particularly given the 
statistics about diabetes in our Nation. According to the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, in 2012, 29.1 million Americans--9.3 
percent of the population--had diabetes. Diabetes was the country's 
seventh leading cause of death and Americans with diabetes spend an 
average of 2.3 times more on medical expenses. The disease is also 
highly pervasive amongst our older Americans--11.8 million seniors age 
65 or older, 25.9 percent of all Americans over 65, have diabetes and 
51 percent of seniors are pre-diabetic.
  As Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, I am well aware 
of the challenges diabetes poses to seniors. Last July, the Aging 
Committee held a hearing to discuss the growing impact of diabetes with 
advancing age. Diabetes impacts millions of Americans across all ages 
and even though seniors are particularly vulnerable to problems created 
by the disease, diabetes needs to be fought across the age spectrum.
  Researchers tracked the weights and sitting times of nearly 90,000 
women between the ages of 50 and 79 who were not initially taking 
diabetes medications. Women who sat more than sixteen hours during 
their waking day had the highest risk of developing diabetes, and even 
if they introduced an exercise regimen, this high risk remained. Obese 
women have a 23 percent risk of developing diabetes and were more 
likely to develop diabetes than overweight and normal-weight women even 
if they were both sedentary for the same amount of time. The study 
found that the diabetes risk can be reduced by standing or walking for 
5 minutes for every hour spent sitting.
  This new University of Florida study enhances our understanding of 
the disease and emphasizes the importance of healthy behavior and 
habits throughout our lives. Though much progress has been made in 
diabetes research, we still have a long way to go in combatting this 
disease that affects millions of Americans. We must continue funding 
groundbreaking research like that at the University of Florida and 
promoting the kinds of lifestyle changes that will reduce the risks of 
diseases like diabetes in old age.

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