This year, the NIDDK’s Diabetes Discoveries and Practice Blog published more than 20 posts in collaboration with health care professionals on a wide range of topics, from cognitive impairment in people with diabetes to identifying unusual forms of diabetes. Below we’re highlighting some of the most popular posts of the year, along with three posts of interest you may have missed.

Most Popular Posts of 2021:

1. Tips and Resources to Help Patients Live a Healthy Lifestyle
   Following a challenging year, it may be difficult for your patients to get back into a healthy routine. However, small steps can make a big difference in making healthy habits a priority. Share these tips and resources with your patients looking to focus on healthy eating and physical activity this year.
   
   
2. Can Diabetes Lead to Cognitive Impairment?
   People with diabetes are more likely to develop cognitive impairment than people without diabetes. In this post, José A. Luchsinger, MD, explains the cognitive impairment risk in people with diabetes and how health care professionals can adapt treatments for patients with cognitive problems.
   
   
3. How Can You Improve Diabetes Care for Patients with Limited Health Literacy?
   People who have limited health literacy may have trouble finding, understanding, and using information to effectively manage their diabetes. Hae-Ra Han, PhD, MSN, RN, discusses how limited health literacy may affect diabetes outcomes and offers strategies health care professionals can use to address or improve patients’ health literacy skills.

Three Interesting Posts You May Have Missed:

1. RADIANT Study Aims to Shine Light on Unusual Forms of Diabetes
   Every health care professional sees patients who don’t fit a diagnostic mold, and diabetes is no exception. While the majority of people with diabetes have a diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 diabetes, others do not have a medical history or signs consistent with these diagnoses. Learn more about the NIDDK-supported Rare and Atypical Diabetes Network, or RADIANT, which is working to identify and describe unusual forms of diabetes, find their causes, and develop better diagnostic methods.
   
   
2. Reducing Disparities in Diabetic Amputations
   There’s an epidemic of amputations, which disproportionately affects people who have diabetes. Overall, about 200,000 people in the United States have amputations each year, and about 130,000 of those people have diabetes. Foluso Fakorede, MD, discusses risk factors for peripheral arterial disease and amputation in patients with diabetes, as well as how to reduce disparities in diabetes-related amputations.
   
   
3. Addressing Stroke Risk Factors in People Who Have Diabetes
   Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability for people with diabetes. Managing elevated hemoglobin A1C levels, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol can reduce the risk for stroke. Richard Benson, MD, PhD, director of the Office of Global Health and Health Disparities at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), discusses the links between stroke and diabetes, and strategies to reduce stroke risk for people with diabetes.

What content did you enjoy most from the blog over the past year? What would you like to see more of in 2022? Let us know in the comments below.