Health Guide

Suffering with diabetes

Why are so many people suffering with diabetes? I am concerned because I was a diabetic. My nephew died from this disease and I have known so many people who are diabetic. I think lifestyle factor are the main culprit. Nutrition, weight management and negative stressors are some of the factors.

 Our diet should be tailored to suit our metabolic type. Our metabolic system process the food we eat and many of the food consumed puts lot of stress on the digestive system. Our pancreas one of the organ in the digestive system is over worked producing insulin because of the type of foods consume daily. Everyone is responsible for his/her health and should take the initiative to make changes in their lifestyle. Your health is wealth.

Almost everyone knows someone who has diabetes. An estimated 23.6 million people in the United States—7.8 percent of the population—have diabetes, a serious, lifelong condition. Of those, 17.9 million have been diagnosed, and 5.7 million have not yet been diagnosed. In 2007, about 1.6 million people ages 20 or older were diagnosed with diabetes. For additional statistics, see the National Diabetes Statistics, 2007

The estimates in this fact sheet were derived from various data systems of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Indian Health Service's (IHS's) National Patient Information Reporting System (NPIRS), the U.S. Renal Data System of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Census Bureau, and published studies. The estimated percentages and the total number of people with diabetes and pre-diabetes were derived from 2005–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2007–2009 National Health Interview Survey, 2009 IHS data, and 2010 U.S. resident population estimates. The diabetes and pre-diabetes estimates from NHANES were applied to the 2010 U.S. resident population estimates to derive the estimated number of adults with diabetes or pre-diabetes

Diabetes is a group of diseases marked by high levels of blood glucose, also called blood sugar, resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both. Diabetes can lead to serious complications and premature death, but people with diabetes can take steps to control the disease and lower the risk of complications.
Types of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes was previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops when the body’s immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells, the only cells in the body that make the hormone insulin that regulates blood glucose. To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump. This form of diabetes usually strikes children and young adults, although disease onset can occur at any age. In adults, type 1 diabetes accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Risk factors for type 1 diabetes may be autoimmune, genetic, or environmental. No known way to prevent type 1 diabetes exists. Several clinical trials for the prevention of type 1 diabetes are currently in progress or are being planned.

Type 2 diabetes was previously called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes. In adults, type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. It usually begins as insulin resistance, a disorder in which the cells do not use insulin properly. As the need for insulin rises, the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce it. Type 2 diabetes is associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity. African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, and some Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders are at particularly high risk for type 2 diabetes and its complications. Type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents, although still rare, is being diagnosed more frequently among American Indians, African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, and Asians/Pacific Islanders.

Gestational diabetes is a form of glucose intolerance diagnosed during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes occurs more frequently among African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, and American Indians. It is also more common among obese women and women with a family history of diabetes. During pregnancy, gestational diabetes requires treatment to normalize maternal blood glucose levels to avoid complications in the infant. Immediately after pregnancy, 5 to 10 percent of women with gestational diabetes are found to have diabetes, usually type 2. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 40 to 60 percent chance of developing diabetes in the next 5 to 10 years.

Other types of diabetes result from specific genetic conditions, such as maturity-onset diabetes of youth; surgery; medications; infections; pancreatic disease; and other illnesses. Such types of diabetes account for 1 to 5 percent of all diagnosed cases.
Treating Diabetes
Diabetes can lead to serious complications, such as blindness, kidney damage, cardiovascular disease, and lower-limb amputations, but people with diabetes can lower the occurrence of these and other diabetes complications by controlling blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipids.

• Many people with type 2 diabetes can control their blood glucose by following a healthy meal plan and exercise program, losing excess weight, and taking oral medication. Some people with type 2 diabetes may also need insulin to control their blood glucose.

• To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump.
• Among adults with diagnosed diabetes—type 1 or type 2—14 percent take insulin only, 13 percent take both insulin and oral medication, 57 percent take oral medication only, and 16 percent do not take either insulin or oral medication. Medications for each individual with diabetes will often change over the course of the disease.
• Many people with diabetes also need to take medications to control their cholesterol and blood pressure.
• Self-management education or training is a key step in improving health outcomes and quality of life. It focuses on self-care behaviors, such as healthy eating, being active, and monitoring blood glucose. It is a collaborative process in which diabetes educators help people with or at risk for diabetes gain the knowledge and problem-solving and coping skills needed to successfully self-manage the disease and its related conditions.