Diabetes Awareness

Diabetes Awareness



As Christmas has just passed and we are all preparing to celebrate the New Year next week, I figured this was a good topic to discus as we begin looking at New Years Resolutions and most of us have been affected by diabetes at some point. Both of my maternal grand parents had it. I also have some friends that have it. This is my effort to help and contribute to education on the subject.

There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease and type two is the buildup of insulin resistance. Prediabetes falls under type two as it is developed over time. Both are caused by a combination of genetics, lifestyle, environmental factors leading to having problems with insulin. The main contributors have been found to be obesity, inactivity, family history, older age, certain ethnicities, and pregnancy. 

What is the role of insulin?

Insulin is a hormone created in the pancreas when there is a rise in blood sugar in the bloodstream and it acts like a gatekeeper, or bouncer if you will, for muscles, fat, and the liver. It allows sugar from what we injest in the form of glucose to enter our muscles, fat, and liver to be used as energy to prevent blood sugar spikes. 

In type 1 diabetes, the body makes little or no insulin. In type 2, our cells become resistant to the insulin causing sugar to build up in the blood stream. Therefore, the glucose is not used as a source of energy.

Type 1 Contributors

  • Autoimmune Attack: Our immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
  • Genetics: Family history significantly increases the risk of getting it.
  • Environmental triggers: It is believed that some possible contributors are a viral infection or early diet.

Type 2 and Prediabetes

  • Family history: There is a strong genetic link with shared habits.
  • Age: Risk increases after age 45.
  • Ethnicity: A higher risk has been found in Black, Hispanic, American Indian, and Asian populations.
  • Diet: Diets high in saturated fats can harm inulin-producing cells.
  • Gestational Diabetes: Sometimes occurs during pregnancy.
  • Other conditions: High blood pressure, high cholesterol, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

Other Factors

  • Pancreatic Damage: Injury, disease, or removal of the pancreas.
  • Medication: Long-term use of certain medications, including steroids.
  • Smoking: Increases risk of diabetes.

WHY FOCUS ON DIABETES AWARENESS?

  • 9.4% of adults in the United States have diabetes, 2.23% don’t know they have it, and an estimated 33.9% of adults in the U.S. have pre-diabetes.
  • Medical costs for people with diabetes average more than twice as much as the medical costs of people without diabetes. 
  • Risk of death for adults with diabetes is 50% higher than for adults without diabetes.
  • The total annual cost in lost productivity, wages, and medical expenses for people with diagnosed diabetes is $245 billion.
  • Type 2 diabetes can be prevented. Losing just 5-7% of one’s body weight and exercising moderately (like brisk walking) five days a week can lower the risk of developing diabetes by 58%.
Conclusion

As you can see, there are may factors that contribute to having this disease. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about the genetics aspect of the disease. However, we can delay or even prevent Type 2 with our choices of lifestyle, to include diet, exercise, and weight management. 

RESOURCES - Find free diabetes information at:
American Diabetes Association – http://www.diabetes.org/in-my-community/wellness-lives-here/stop-d-at-work/organizational-resources.html
Diabetes at Work - http://diabetesatwork.org/
JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) - http://jdrf.org/
Joslin Diabetes Center - http://www.joslin.org/
National Diabetes Education Program - http://www.ndep.nih.gov/
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  On February 13th, Robert F Kennedy was voted and confirmed to be the 26th secretary of Health and Human Services.  Some people are scared, and others are hopeful of what he might do. This got me to thinking about what his background is.  Why is he qualified for this position?  Should we be scared, or hopeful? In researching Mr. Kennedy, here is his history.  He attended Harvard in late '70's and law school in early '80's.  Passed the Bar in 1985, which is when he began his career as an environmental attorney suing corporations for disposing of hazardous waste into waterways instead of properly disposing them.  In the '90's, he began taking private clients, instead of cities or groups, to fight against corporations with poor waste management. This is also when one of his son's was found to have peanut allergies.  After some research, he attributed this to certain vaccines that began to be used in 1989.  His fight against oil and chemical com...
Read more

Welcome to RHWellsFitness!

Image
Welcome!  Thank you for stopping by.  This post is just an introduction of myself to the world at large.  Who is RH Wells?  I am a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise.  I enjoy health and fitness and this is my way of sharing, and hopefully making a difference, with the world.  I have my share of health issues.  I have found that exercise has helped me cope with my condition and continues to give me a very good quality of life.  On the personal side, I am a Christian, a husband, and a dad. I grew up in west Texas, played high school sports even though I wasn't the most athletic, and spent my weekends riding horses and competing in Gym Kanas. I attended Northern AZ University (Bac. Sci.) and a few years later University of Phoenix (MBA). Took up Kajukenbo after that, earning my brown belt and doing some competitions - including Vegas. Years later, after getting married, now raising three wonderful kids with their i...
Read more

Tis the season - 3 ways to get a head start on health

Image
As we begin the home stretch for 2017, this is the time when a lot of people eat more than they should, drink more than they should and come January they begin their New Year's Resolutions to lose weight, get in better health...the usual annual resolutions.  Here are some tips to use to plan for the holidays and a way to get a jump start on the upcoming resolutions and how to stick to them. 1.  Eat everything - in moderation of course . These are the holidays after all.  We gather with friends and family.  We all have a plethora of items to choose from.  Turkey, ham, turducken, mac 'n' cheese, green been casserole, sweet potato souffle, corn on the cob, the list goes on and on.  For most of us, we like everything that is being served.  The trick here is not to get a full scoop of everything, especially if they are the large serving spoons.  Instead, use your utensils and serve yourself portions that are large enough to enjoy the flavor, y...
Read more