$47 Million in grants have been funded by fees paid to Minnesota by doctors, dentists, health plans and other health care providers in effort to make Minnesota healthier and reduce the risk of costly lifestyle (nutrition/exercise) related diseases. The SHIP grants are by far the biggest expense from 2008 legislation and they aim to trim projected health care spending by $1.9 Billion by the year 2015. The average cost for a type II diabetic (loss productivity, medications etc.) will be $13,000 per person. Considering 1 out 3 children are obese this would project to be the most costly generation in the future if changes are not made that emphasize making better lifestyle choices! "Health care costs are now rising at twice the rate as the cost of living!" "What wer're really tackling with this health-care reform legislation is a new way to help people stay healthier." Rep. Tom Huntley, DFL. It is very important to know that changes in nutrition and exercise provide LONG term results that lower your risk of developing emotionally and financially devastating diseases. It is a long-term vision that you must embrace and you will see changes with time if you commit yourself every day to leading a healthier life. BE FITT4Life

~ Carolyn Moos
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Expenditures for prescription diabetes drugs nearly doubled over a six-year period, largely due to the increased use of newer and costlier medications, a study shows.

Between 2001 and 2007, diabetes drug costs in the U.S. increased from $6.7 billion to $12.5 billion, researchers from Stanford University School of Medical and the University of Chicago report in the Oct. 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

The researchers questioned whether the newer drugs' benefits justify the increase in costs, noting that studies comparing the effectiveness of newer and older diabetes medications have not been done.

University of Chicago assistant professor of medicine and the study's lead author G. Caleb Alexander, MD, tells WebMD that given the increase in diabetes drug costs, such studies are badly needed.

"Newer doesn't necessarily mean better," he says. "Given that we have less experience with the newer drugs on the market and given their greater costs, I think the burden of proof is for the newer drugs to be demonstrated as worth the money."

Diabetes Drug Costs Growing
Alexander says newer diabetes drugs like the injectable medication Byetta and the novel oral drug Januvia typically sell for five to 10 times the cost of older, generic drugs.

The investigation shows that after just over a year on the market, one in 10 prescriptions written for a diabetes medication in the fourth quarter of 2007 was for Merck's Januvia.

Between its release in June 2005 and the fourth quarter of 2007, Byetta, marketed by Amylin and Lilly, captured 4 percent of the prescription diabetes drug market.

But American Diabetes Association (ADA) Vice President of Clinical Affairs Sue Kirkman, MD, points out drug expenditures make up only about 10 percent of the overall cost of treating diabetes.

In a report released last spring, the ADA estimated the total cost of diabetes in the U.S. in 2007 to be $174 billion, including $116 billion in medical expenditures and $58 billion in reduced productivity.

Kirkman agrees that it would be useful to have long-term trials designed to determine the cost-effectiveness of the new drugs vs. the old, but she says such studies are unlikely.

"It would be incredibly expensive," she tells WebMD. "It is true that we don't really know if over the long term one drug is better than another. But it is also true that we are moving in the right direction in terms of diabetes control."

Due to better blood sugar control and better overall management, she says fewer diabetes patients are developing some of the most serious complications of the disease, such as kidney failure and blindness.

New Diabetes Cases on the Rise
Alexander says getting diabetes treatment costs under control is critical because the number of Americans who have the disease is expected to soar within the next few decades.

Newly released figures from the CDC bear this out. Among the highlights of the report:
# In 2007, almost 18 million Americans had been diagnosed with diabetes, up from 11 million in 2000.

# Another 5.7 million people had diabetes, but had not been diagnosed.

# Another 57 million American adults had prediabetes.

Alexander and senior author Randall Stafford, MD, PhD, of the Stanford Prevention Research Center, analyzed data from two national prescription drug databases to come up with their drug cost estimates.

They found that the estimated number of visits to a doctor for diabetes treatment increased from 25 million in 1994 to 36 million in 2007.

During the same period:
# The percentage of patients treated with only one drug declined by almost half, from 82 percent to 47 percent of doctor visits.

# Insulin prescriptions decreased from 38 percent to 28 percent during the period.

# Prescriptions writen for older sulfonylurea drugs declined from 67 percent to 34 percent.

Between 2001 and 2007, the average diabetes drug prescription cost rose from $56 to $76, mostly due to the increasing use of newly available drugs like Januvia and Byetta, the researchers note.

"It is important to recognize how expensive treatment for diabetes has become," Stafford says. "The near-doubling of diabetes [drug] costs may partly reflect better care, but we need to step back and examine the value of newer and more costly medications that may be overused."

Merck issued a statement in response to the study, noting that the company is committed to the development of new diabetes drugs.

"Not all diabetes treatments work for every patient and it is important to research and bring new treatment options to market to help patients to control their blood sugar levels," says Amy Rose, Merck director of media relations.

Calls to Amylin Pharmaceuticals were not returned in time for publication.

Governor Schwarzenegger
"When you think about today the huge percentage of people that are ringing up huge health care costs—huge health care costs—because they are sick because of the lifestyle, because they don’t lead a healthy lifestyle. And this is what we are working on right now, and it is very important for me to mention—even though I don’t want to bring policy and all of this stuff that maybe bores you into the school—but we are working very actively right now to reform our health care system, because our health care system is a broken system. We have 6.5 million people in this state that are uninsured, and the costs are too high. So we want to bring the costs down and we want to insure everyone. And let me tell you something; the people of California love the idea that we want to redo and fix a broken health care system." The problem is that people are not LIVING in a way that would reduce their health problems!!! (Carolyn Moos - FITT4Life www.fitt4life.org) http://gov.ca.gov/speech/5260

KEY STATS:
1 out of 3 Children are obese. It is the first generation that is expected to NOT outlive the previous Lifestyle related diseases take proactive approach that incorporates PREVENTATIVE HEALTH!

The 2007 Los Angeles Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicates that among high school students:

Obesity
•	16% were obese. (1) Unhealthy Dietary Behaviors
•	73% ate fruits and vegetables less than five times per day during the 7 days before the survey.
•	28% drank a can, bottle, or glass of soda or pop (not including diet soda or diet pop) at least one time per day during the 7 days before the survey.
Physical Inactivity
•	58% did not meet recommended levels of physical activity. (2)
•	37% did not attend physical education classes. (3)
•	50% did not attend physical education classes daily. (4)
•	44% watched television 3 or more hours per day on an average school day.
•	30% played video or computer games or used a computer for something that was not school work for 3 or more hours per day on an average school day.

The 2006 Los Angeles School Health Profiles indicates that among middle schools and high schools:

Health Education
•	25% required students to take two or more health education courses.
•	79% taught 14 nutrition and dietary behavior topics in a required health education course.
•	51% taught 13 physical activity topics in a required health education course.

From CDC Department of Health and Human Services. Center for Disease control and Prevention.

FITT4Life addresses Nutrition, Exercise, Stress Management and many biological, psychology and physiological aspects. Multiple factors play into your daily lifestyle choices and Carolyn and FITT4Life work to find the right approach that works best for you. Here are statistics to be aware of as you invest yourself in the life changing experience.

NUTRITION:
You are what you eat and keep in mind you are what you don't eat! FITT4Life encourages a well-rounded clean mid-GI macronutrient meal plan along with an exercise plan that is right for your goals. If you consume risk-increasing foods and beverages, your overall risk of cardiovascular disease increases. Risk-increasing consumption patterns include "junk" food (high in sugar and saturated fat), alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, pollutants, carcinogens, and free-radical-forming substances and processes (ultraviolet rays from the sun, stress, etc.). The result is increasing risk of cardiovascular disease with every year that passes. If you neglect to consume risk-reducing foods and fail to practice a healthy lifestyle your overall likelihood of cardiovascular health decreases. Risk-reducing consumption patterns include healthful food choices in moderate portions, ample antioxidants, and adequate supplements (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, hormones and hormone releasers), along with planned regular exercise that is shaped for your personal needs along with recovery and stress reducing activities. Immediate results are increased energy, vitality, productivity and higher quality sleep. Your immediate and long term quality of life and quantity of life (measured in added decades) increases dramatically. YOU have the POWER to choose to be FITT4Life!
Carolyn
[P] 310-600-3320
[E] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

REVIEW the following:
STATISTICS BODY COMPOSITION:
» Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. As these statistics indicate, overweight and obesity have a significant impact on the health of Americans, and their health-care costs. Many corporations are now investing in preventative health programs RATHER than in health-care coverage. The bottom line is that skyrocketing premiums are forcing us to reconsider how the U.S. population makes decisions about their health everyday! Exercise and nutrition add up everyday for positive or negative contributions to your long-term health! FITT4Life and Carolyn will get you on track and keep you on track- for LIFE!

» 64.5% of all American adults, 120 million, are overweight or obese. 31% are obese, 59 million.
Source: 1999-2000 National Health and Examination Survey; National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control (2003).

» People weighing 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight could shorten their life span by up to seven years. Carrying an extra 10 to 30 extra pounds could shorten it by three years.
Source: Annals of Internal Medicine 2003;138:24-32

» Obese and overweight women face a significantly increased risk of having babies with heart abnormalities and other birth defects.
Source: Journal of Pediatrics 2003;111:1152-1158

» Obesity is linked to a wide variety of cancers and may lead to 90,000 cancer deaths each year.
Source: New England Journal of Medicine 2003;348:1625-1638

» Obesity costs the U.S. economy more than tobacco or alcohol, about $117 billion per year.
Source: Health Affairs 2002;21(2):245-253.

» Obesity kills approximately 300,000 US adults each year. More than 80% of those deaths take place in individuals with a BMI more than 30.
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, 1999; 282:1530 –38.

» Obesity substantially increases one's risk of developing many chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, Type II diabetes, heart disease, stroke, gall bladder disease and cancer of the breast, prostate and colon, liver disease, lower back pain, sleep apnea, stroke, and urinary incontinence.