Team:UCSC/ADA

American Diabetes Association Interview

   The diabetes epidemic, as many have chosen to call it, has rapidly become a bane to families across the globe. As we stated, there is 29.1 million Americans suffering from diabetes, a figure that is over double than the 13.5 million affected in 2002. While diabetes is often seen as uniquely disastrous within the United States, this could not be farther from the truth. Currently there is an estimated 65 million adults in India with diabetes, and 98 million diabetics within China. Worldwide it is estimated that 385 million individuals are living with diabetes, a shocking and rapidly growing figure. With rates of diabetes growing each day, the need for rapidly accessible solution is greater than ever.

   We firmly believe that the expanded accessibility and adoption of zero-calorie sweeteners could play a role in turning the tides in the battle against diabetes. However to understand the validity of this assumption, we decided to speak with those who understand far more about diabetes than ourselves. The American Diabetes Association is the leading voice pioneering increased awareness, scientific understanding, and prevention efforts for diabetes worldwide. A nonprofit founded in 1940, the ADA funds research for the management, cure, and prevention of diabetes; in addition to delivering services to hundreds of communities across the globe. Beyond the numerous yearly publications derived from ADA-funded research, the American Diabetes Association spearheads advocacy and awareness campaigns for public education. With this in mind, we contacted Richard Alejandro, the Executive Director of the American Diabetes Association San Jose, for an interview.

   Describing diabetes as a “pandemic”, Richard walked us through the basic science behind type one and type two diabetes. Stating that one out of three people in the United States has either diabetes or pre-diabetes, he explained how diabetes rates are growing rapidly within the United States and across the globe. Richard then directed us to the debilitating effects sugar consumption can have on those struggling with diabetes and clarified the connection between neuropathy and cell’s inability to respond to insulin properly. Now that we had collected the underlying information, we decided to ask the key question: Could replacing sugar with zero-calorie sweeteners assist in reducing rates of diabetes? Richard responded, “Absolutely, there’s no question about it.” He followed by expressing how advertisements for sugary beverages, often directed at children, have greatly influenced how we approach beverage consumption and what typically choose as a refreshment. Richard continued by reaffirming the American Diabetes Association’s support of increased awareness and adoption for these zero-calorie sweeteners. The ADA, he claimed, focuses their advocacy, public education efforts, and research publications to this very topic on a year-round basis. We concluded by asking Richard if he felt that the general public as well as those struggling with diabetes should consider replacing sugar with these zero-calorie sweeteners more commonly. His response was that these sweeteners would absolutely assist those with diabetes, especially in the critical need to regularly regulate the glucose levels in their blood. For those of us that do not have diabetes, Richard feels we should all still be aware of the sugar levels we permit into our bodies--and zero-calorie sweeteners could help us accomplish that. Following this interview, the team was very glad to understand that our ambitions were well-placed; and that our mission to expand accessibility to zero-calorie sweeteners could in fact have significant role for individuals across the globe who are suffering from diabetes.