With an estimated 16 to 17 million people in the United States suffering from diabetes, the condition has reached epidemic proportions. While there are a number of agencies, doctors, hospitals and universities all working to find a cure or at least better treatments, one agency stands up as the leading provider of help and information. That agency is the American Diabetes Association.

Through the American Diabetes Association people will find a host of up-to-date information on the disease, treatment, research, coping mechanisms and more. Since diabetes is often known as a silent killer, one of the primary functions of this agency is simply to raise awareness. In doing so, the association helps people help themselves find out more about the disease and better ways of living with it.

Aside from awareness, the American Diabetes Association serves several other functions. These include:

* Fundraising. This is one major component of the American Diabetes Association. The agency raises money and a lot of it to help fund research for a cure and even for better forms of treatments. The fundraising of this particular agency is vital to ensuring a cure is found.

* Research. Considering it’s fundraising efforts, it should be of no surprise the American Diabetes Association also works very hard to fund research into treatments and potential cures. The agency helps fund a lot of different projects each year with the singular goal in mind – to make diabetes go away!

* Advocacy. The American Diabetes Association is a leading lobbyist on behalf of those with this often devastating condition. While federal medical research dollars are taxed with some of the most horrific diseases imaginable, diabetes, too, deserves some of those dollars. The agency works to ensure this is the case.

While the above three things are major efforts of the American Diabetes Association, the organization is also considered one of the best clearing houses of information on the subject. Through the association, those recently diagnosed will find some great ideas for coping with the disease. From straightforward facts and information to great recipes, the agency seeks to help people who have the disease learn to live with it and thrive in spite of it.

Diabetes can be a difficult condition to learn to manage. If left unchecked, it can cause fatal damage to the body’s organs. It’s the American Diabetes Association’s desire to find a cure before anyone else has to suffer through a diagnosis of this disease.