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March is Kidney Health month. Meanwhile, Type 2 diabetes is a growing problem that affects millions of people every year.

In other health news, if you thought the obesity epidemic was bad, get this -- around 60 percent of all Americans are considered overweight. Half of them are obese.

You can find out what qualifies someone as obese by clicking here. Expanding waistlines are *expanding* the numbers of people facing a debilitating disease.

Edie Rice, a nurse practitioner with the Hannibal Clinic said, "Type 2 is an epidemic. It's a growing problem and is correlated closely with the obesity epidemic"

Edie Rice says for many obese people, Type 2 diabetes could have been prevented with a better diet and exercise. The good news for folks on the line, there is still time to prevent the disease. And it's all about losing weight and living healthier.

Rice said, "The only thing we can adjust is obesity -- exercise, careful eating with good food choices."

But while you can make healthy choices, other risk factors are out of your control such as genetics and ethnicity. African- and Asian Americans, as well as Latin and Native Americans are more at risk for Type 2. Rounder body types and folks with less access to healthcare are more susceptible, while risk of Type 2 or adult onset diabetes increases with age. Women who had gestational diabetes during pregnancy also face increased risk.

But with obesity on the rise, it's estimated 36 percent of ten year olds right now will be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at some time in their lives....simply because of their weight problem.

Rice said, "Unless we do something to change that, we are trapping them in a life of disease if we don't deal with that."

Here are some other informative links:

http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/kdd/

http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/complications_kidneys/

http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/kidney-disease-nephropathy.html

http://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/diabetes.cfm

http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/