“The American Diabetes Association estimates 23.6 million children and adults in the USA — 7.8% of the population — have diabetes. Complications of type 2 diabetes can include blindness, kidney disease and nerve damage.”

In the face of such daunting numbers, who can we go to for help? Lance Armstrong! Wait, who?  Yep, it’s Lance again. Lance has added a feature to Livestrong.com helping people become educated about the condition and to take steps to actively deal with it.

This “brand extension” if you will of the Livestrong movement is consistent with Lance’s past efforts. He says in the article, “”Ultimately, we wanted to be there to help them achieve a healthy quality of life, help them live to their fullest.” Eradicating any disease helps each person to at least have such a chance.

You can find the full article by Mary Brophy Marcus, at http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-12-14-armstrong14_ST_N.htm, with an excerpt below.

(Excerpt)

Cyclist Lance Armstrong has a new passion: Diabetes

Now the seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor is directing his star power and reputation for vitality at another disease: diabetes.

On Monday, Armstrong introduces a feature called MyPlate D on his popular   website, Livestrong.com. It is an extension of Livestrong.com’s current tools that let users track food intake and exercise and encourage visitors to communicate with others who have similar health and fitness objectives.

“Much like with cancer survivors or those who have HIV, people with diabetes have been dealt this hand, a health challenge,” he says. “Ultimately, we wanted to be there to help them achieve a healthy quality of life, help them live to their fullest.”

MyPlate D was developed for people who have type 2 diabetes to help them break food down to its nutritional components — beyond just calories, to include carbohydrates, fats, proteins and sodium. It also lets people track insulin use and monitor glucose.

“Users will start to recognize trends in their diet that may lead to spikes in glucose levels and be able to change their daily habits,” says registered dietitian Alyse Levine, a nutrition consultant for Livestrong.com who helped develop MyPlate D.

(The article continues at http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-12-14-armstrong14_ST_N.htm)