MAYAGUEZ, PUERTO RICO -- Most people don’t stop bad habits until they have had a serious health scare. Such was the case for presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee, when he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2002. After his personal success at shedding 100-plus pounds, he has found a platform to share his secrets to creating better health habits in “Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork.”



Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes care, today announced the availability of 35,000 Spanish-translated copies of this best-selling book, which can be ordered free of charge by visiting http://www.librodediabetes.com.

Diabetes is an incurable disease and urgent health problem that disproportionately affects Latinos. It is the third leading cause of death in Puerto Rico which suffers from one of the highest rates of diabetes in the world.



Approximately 549,000 people have diabetes, a 50 percent increase since 2000. In recent years, type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body does not make enough insulin or can not use the insulin it makes effectively, has increased dramatically due to high rates of obesity found in 63 percent of the population. Unless the society aggressively addresses the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the number of people in Puerto Rico with diabetes will almost double to 1,071,600 by 2025.

“Many people who are at risk for diabetes or are living with the disease do not understand that it is a progressive condition that gets worse without proper treatment and lifestyle changes,” said Elba Blanes, director of the Puerto Rico Diabetes Association. “This book will provide people with a proven approach to make effective changes, leading to a lifetime of better health.”