With Mayo Clinic nutritionists Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.

For those of you with diabetes, have you had the opportunity to visit with a dietitian? Data suggest that the answer to this question would be mixed — that, there are those who receive education on diabetes management, but others who have the opportunity and decline to meet with a registered dietitian or diabetes educator. A third group of people don't have the opportunity or don't know what opportunities are available to them.

A recent study in the journal "Diabetes Care" suggests that an interaction with a dietitian has a strong association with fewer hospitalizations, about 45 percent less, and if hospitalized, a reduction in cost.

The conclusion of the study states it best: "If the proportion of diabetic patients receiving education could be raised to the Healthy People 2010 goal of 60 percent the data suggest that tens of millions of dollars in hospital charges and tens of thousands of hospitalizations could be avoided each year, just among patients of one large primary care system." The study was done in Philadelphia.

Imagine if we extended these figures to include the entire United States, and can you even fathom what it might mean worldwide? I applaud this suggestion in the report: "Both public and private insurers would be well advised to invest in efforts to improve the reach of diabetes education in order to reduce both long-term costs and human suffering for the large and growing population of patients with diabetes."

Adequate coverage by health insurance or not, it still comes down to the individual and self management. If you have diabetes, take charge of your health. Prevent complications — save your eyes, your feet, your heart, and kidneys. Find out what educational opportunities are available to you. Ask your physician what services are within your healthcare network or community.

Resources are available on this Web site. Also, the American Diabetes Association Web site has links to local events as well as a wealth of additional information. See the links below. Finally, free clinics will often staff a dietitian or nurse with experience in diabetes.

To your health,

Katherine

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