Understanding Diabetes |
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Without having a reason to do something,
most of us won't take any action. At this point, you may know you're at
risk for developing diabetes, but what does that really mean? What is
this disease called diabetes anyway? Simply
put, diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body can't properly use
the food we eat; the body doesn't make enough insulin or can't use it
properly to change food into energy. Normally, the digestive system
changes most food into glucose—the body's preferred energy source. Once
the food is digested, glucose enters the bloodstream, causing blood
glucose levels to rise. Glucose is carried in the blood cells to be
used as fuel, but insulin needs to be available for the glucose to be
absorbed into the cells Insulin is a hormone made and secreted by the
pancreas, a gland near the stomach. In response to the rising blood
glucose level, the pancreas releases insulin into the bloodstream,
causing the glucose to enter the cells so blood glucose levels return
to normal. If we have diabetes, however, our body doesn't work
like it should. There are problems with how much insulin our pancreas
makes and how well our cells use the available insulin. They've become
insulin resist ant As a result, the glucose can't get into our cells to
provide energy and our blood glucose levels remain high) Eventually,
because our body isn't getting the fuel it needs, we start to feel
tired and hungry. These problems in our body's handling of glucose
occur gradually over time. In fact, most people diagnosed with diabetes
have had it for a while—often up to seven years—without even knowing
it! ,,'This kind of diabetes, in which the body makes some insulin but
can't use it properly, is called type 2 diabetes. About 90 to 95
percent of people with diabetes have this type. It most often occurs in
overweight adults and some overweight teens Managing type 2 diabetes
involves losing weight, leading an active lifestyle, and sometimes
taking oral medications or insulin injections. The other type of diabetes—type 1—usually occurs in
people under age 20, affecting only 5 to 10 percent of all people who
are diagnosed with diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes still make
insulin, but those with type 1 diabetes produce little or no insulin
and require daily injections to survive. Scientists are still working
to determine if type 1 diabetes is preventable. Both types of diabetes are serious, requiring long-term lifestyle
changes to treat the disease and to prevent complications of the
disease that can occur, such as eye, kidney, nerve, and heart damage.
So, knowing that you could prevent a disease that could cause you
health problems in the not so distant future, aren't you ready to take
action? |
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