600 Participants to Join in the Diabetes Assn. Walk

About 600 Orange County residents are expected to participate in one of the largest local fund-raisers for the American Diabetes Assn., including a 10-K walk, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in Newport Beach.

Organizers of Walktoberfest ’96 said they hope to raise $60,000 for research into diabetes, the fourth leading cause of death by disease in the United States.

Last year’s event raised more than $30,000, and officials this year have collected more than $10,000 so far from about 300 local employees of the American Automobile Assn., walk spokeswoman Shelley Longnecker said.

The walk will begin at the Newport Dunes hotel, 1131 Backbay Drive, and continue on a scenic path along the Back Bay wildlife refuge.

About 16 million Americans have diabetes, which generally affects the body’s ability to process insulin, a hormone that allows blood sugar to be used for energy, officials said.

“Diabetes has tripled in prevalence since the 1960s and will likely become even more common . . . and costly as baby boomers get older, gain weight and remain inactive,” said Donna Salmon, chairwoman of the walk’s organizing committee.

Money raised from the walk, she said, will benefit “medical research and community educational programs that help people with diabetes to improve the quality of their daily lives.”

Information: (714) 662-7940 or (800) 254-WALK.