What is Diabetes???

 Diabetes begins in the pancreas, an organ in your body like your heart. Special cells in the pancreas, beta cells, make a substance called insulin. Insulin helps feed your cells. Your body is made up of millions of tiny cells. To keep you healthy, these cells need to be fed. The food the cells eat is called glucose, or sugar. When you eat an apple, for example, your body turns the apple into glucose and sends that glucose into your blood. The glucose travels through your blood to your cells. The cells can't eat the glucose all by themselves. They need help. Insulin helps the cells eat the sugar. People with diabetes have a problem with insulin, either their pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin or their body is resistant to insulin, so the cells don't get the glucose they need.

There are 2 types of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is what kids and young adults most often have.

Type 2 diabetes is more common in older adults, but some adults have type 1 diabetes and more and more kids and teens are developing type 2 diabetes.

 Type 2 Diabetes Risk Factors

A person with some or all of the following listed health risk factors may never develop type 2 diabetes. However, the latest medical findings show that the chances of getting type 2 diabetes increase the more health risk factors you have.

A family history of diabetes. If a parent or sibling in your family has diabetes, your risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases.

Age over 45. The chance of getting type 2 diabetes increases with age.

Race or ethnic background. The risk of type 2 diabetes is greater in Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans, and Asians.

Metabolic syndrome (also called insulin resistance syndrome) (overweight, elevated cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, elevated blood sugar)

Being overweight. If you are overweight, defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25, you're at higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

Hypertension. High blood pressure increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Abnormal cholesterol levels. HDL ("good") cholesterol levels under 35 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter) and/or a triglyceride level over 250 mg/dL increases your risk of type 2 diabetes.

History of gestational diabetes Getting diabetes during pregnancy or delivering a baby over nine pounds can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.

A history of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

Habitually inactive

History of vascular disease (such as stroke)

Common symptoms of diabetes include:

• Frequent urination
• Excessive thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Unusual weight loss
• Increased fatigue
• Irritability
• Blurry vision

How to prevent or delay diabetes

Pre-diabetes is a serious medical condition that can be treated.  The good news is that the recently completed Diabetes Prevention Program study conclusively showed that people with pre-diabetes can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes by making changes in their diet and increasing their level of physical activity. They may even be able to return their blood glucose levels to the normal range.

While the DPP also showed that some medications may delay the development of diabetes, diet and exercise worked better. Just 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity, coupled with a 5-10% reduction in body weight, produced a 58% reduction in diabetes. 

Making healthy food choices

Knowing what to eat can be confusing. Everywhere you turn, there is news about what is or isn't good for you. Some basic principles have weathered the fad diets, and have stood the test of time. Here are a few tips on making healthful food choices for you and your entire family.

·                       Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Try picking from the rainbow of colors available to maximize variety. Eat non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli or green beans with meals.

·                       Choose whole grain foods over processed grain products. Try brown rice with your stir fry or whole wheat spaghetti with your favorite pasta sauce.

·                       Include dried beans (like kidney or pinto beans) and lentils into your meals.

·                       Include fish in your meals 2-3 times a week.

·                       Choose lean meats like cuts of beef and pork that end in "loin" such as pork loin and sirloin. Remove the skin from chicken and turkey.

·                       Choose non-fat dairy such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese.

·                       Choose water and calorie-free "diet" drinks instead of regular soda, fruit punch, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks.

·                       Choose liquid oils for cooking instead of solid fats that can be high in saturated and trans fats. Remember that fats are high in calories. If you're trying to lose weight, watch your portion sizes of added fats.

·                       Cut back on high calorie snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes, and full-fat ice cream.

·                       Eating too much of even healthful foods can lead to weight gain. Watch your portion sizes.

Taken from the American Diabetes Association website, www.diabetes.org