The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has a large amount
of information on their site relating to explaining what diabetes is, risk
factors, living with diabetes, research and ways to give. The information I
have here all originated from their website. In 2012, 29.1 million Americans
had diabetes, which is 9.3% of the population. Diabetes is currently the 7th
leading cause of death in the United States. There are two kinds of diabetes:
Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1
This type is usually diagnosed in children and young adults
with this population making up only 5% of those who have diabetes. In type 1,
the body does not produce insulin.
What is insulin & why is it important?
When you eat your body breaks your food down into glucose
and this is used for energy. Insulin is a hormone that your body uses to get
glucose from your blood to the cells found in your body.
Type 2
This is the more common form of diabetes in the population.
In type 2 diabetes the body does not use insulin properly. The pancreas makes
insulin to compensate for this and as time passes your body cannot make enough
insulin to keep your blood glucose at what is considered a normal level. When
glucose builds up in the blood it can immediately starve your cells of energy
and over time it can hurt your eyes, kidneys and heart.
Symptoms of Diabetes
Some symptoms that the ADA lists for diabetes include
urinating often, feeling very thirsty, extreme fatigue, blurry vision,
cuts/bruises that heal slowly. There are also symptoms that are specific to the
type of diabetes.
Diagnosis
There are several tests for diabetes that you can have done
by your health care provider and they involve testing your blood glucose
levels, and it can be as simple as a finger prick.
Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes
Most people who develop type 2 diabetes have prediabetes
first (high blood glucose levels, but not in the range that is considered
diabetes). Research has shown that you can prevent developing Type 2 diabetes
by exercising, changing your diet and losing weight. Some people with Type 2
diabetes can return to normal glucose levels using these tactics as well. For
more information about diabetes refer to the ADA.
What can I do to help?
We all know someone with diabetes and you can donate your
time or money to efforts that promote prevention and diabetes research. The ADA
has information about this and you can simply do a web search to find
opportunities locally.
Diabetes is not just a problem in America; it is an issue
worldwide. This year the World Health Organization has decided to make diabetes
the focus of World Health Day on April the 7th. The graphic used
here is part of their campaign the stop the rise of diabetes.
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