Here’s
to your health
November is American Diabetes Month
The American Diabetes Association uses the month of November
as the time to raise awareness about diabetes and its serious
complications. Diabetes is a disease that affects how your
body uses the glucose in your blood. Glucose, a form of sugar,
is the main source of fuel for your body.
Here’s how your it’s
supposed to work. Most of the food we eat gets broken down
into glucose in your
blood. So after digesting food, the glucose passes into your
bloodstream. The glucose is intended to be used as the fuel
your body needs.
In
order for the glucose to get into cells to provide growth
and
energy, insulin must be present. (Insulin is a hormone
produced by the pancreas.) When you eat, the pancreas’ job
is to produce the right amount of insulin to move the glucose
from your blood into your cells. In other words, the insulin
lowers the amount of sugar in your bloodstream. As the level
of your blood sugar drops, so should the secretion of insulin.
Additionally,
your liver is like a glucose storage center. If you haven’t
eaten for a while, for example, in order to keep your glucose
level in the normal range, your liver
will release stored glucose.
However,
if you have diabetes, your pancreas produces little or
no insulin or your cells don’t respond as they should
to the insulin that is produced. Instead of passing into
the cells, the glucose builds up in the blood then overflows
into your urine, and then out of your body. That means that
the main source of your body’s fuel is lost. Also,
if the glucose level in your blood gets too high, serious
damage can be done.
In
fact, according to the National Institute of Health, diabetes
is the most common cause, in adults, of blindness,
kidney failure, and amputations. It’s also a leading
cause of heart disease and stroke and the 7th leading cause
of death listed on US death certificates.
More
than 1 in 10 adults over 20 years old have diabetes – but
according to a national survey, 40 percent of those don’t
even know they have it. In fact, the American Diabetes Association
says that nearly 24,000,000 children and adults in the US
live with diabetes and another 57.000,000 Americans are at
risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, previously
most often seen in adults over 45, is now becoming more common
among the young.
For
many years the American Diabetes Association has used the
month of November to raise awareness of the disease and
its complications. This year it is going further and launching
a national movement to Stop Diabetes (SM). The goal is not
only to confront it and fight it, but to STOP it. “Drastic
action is needed, and a new hope is required.” You
can learn more and get involved by going to their website:
stopdiabetes.com
Diabetes
has become an American epidemic. The National Diabetes
Education Program points out that although it is common
and
serious, it’s also controllable, Type 2 (formerly referred
to as adult-onset diabetes) is the most common form and it
is preventable.
For
more information on diabetes, symptoms, risk factors, management,
prevention, and information for kids and teens,
a special Diabetes section has been posted on Links.
[Sources:
Mayo Clinic, Natl Institute of Health, Natl Diabetes Information
Clearinghouse]
|
