Issue 18.13
Diabetes has skyrocketed in the past decade. Diabetes puts us at a greater risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. FACT: more than one out of three people in this country have abnormally high blood sugar that signals pre-diabetes.
What is DIABETES? Glucose is your body’s main source of energy, a type of sugar that circulates in your blood. (Some of it comes from food but some is also made in your liver). During digestion, glucose is released into your bloodstream then your pancreas responds by producing insulin, a hormone that allows the glucose into your cells so they use it or store it. When something interferes with that process, you get diabetes. Here we will discuss 3 types.
Type I Diabetes: The pancreas makes little or no insulin which means glucose can’t be used and it builds up in your bloodstream. Type 1 is caused by an autoimmune disorder that makes the body attack its own cells, damaging the pancreas. This is typically diagnosed in kids or young adults and represents less than 10 percent of cases. Heredity can play a part, however experts don’t know exactly what triggers the disorder
Type 2 Diabetes: Initially your body makes insulin, however is isn’t enough because you’ve developed resistance to its effects. The glucose builds up in your bloodstream which forces the pancreas to try to produce more insulin to let the sugar into your cells. Your body won’t let your insulin do its job, eventually causing the pancreas to get exhausted and begins to wear out. Roughly 24 million Americans have this type and it generally take years to develop. Being pro-active and take action early you might be able to stop the onset of diabetes from “pre-diabetes”. Often diet and lifestyle changes and some oral medication can slow or stop the progression of type 2 diabetes, but some people will need to use insulin.
Gestational Diabetes: Develops during pregnancy (insulin resistant) and will usually goes away after childbirth however it boosts the odds of the mother developing type 2 later in life by about 50 % and affects as many as 18% of pregnant women.
Eating too much sugar doesn’t directly cause diabetes, but experts say genetics, certain ethnic groups, aging, inactivity and too much body fat around the waist can be contributory, but metabolizing sugar requires insulin which is a limited source. Overall calories and high dietary fat may also contribute to insulin resistance. Diabetes is a complex disease and we just can’t blame it on eating too much sugar. For more information call Susan at (435) 656-1704
Next time: Symptoms, how to find out if you have it, avoidance and which test is best for diagnosing.