Background Information on Diabetes

The term diabetes mellitus is derived from the Greek words for siphon and sugar, and describes the excretion of large amounts of urine containing glucose, indicating that the body is not properly using or producing insulin. Diabetes is a serious medical condition for which there is no cure. Adults can reduce risks associated with diabetes through regular exercise and long-term lifestyle changes.

Risk Factors and Symptoms

• Risk factors for developing diabetes include a family history of the disease, being more than 20 percent overweight, increasing age (risk goes up at age 40), or being of African American, Hispanic or Native American descent. The symptoms of diabetes are vague and can be easily attributed to a number of factors; thus, each by itself may not trigger an alarm. However, if you have two or more of the following symptoms, it is worth a visit to your doctor: increased thirst, frequent urination (especially at night), a sudden increase in appetite, unexplained weight loss, unusual fatigue, skin infections, wounds that are slow to heal, recurrent vaginitis, erection difficulties, blurred vision, and tingling or numbness in hands or feet.

Insulin

• When we eat starchy vegetables, fruits and grain products, our bodies turn these complex carbohydrates into glucose, a form of sugar used by our bodies for fuel. In 1921, three Canadian scientists discovered insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates the amount of glucose in the bloodstream. One year later insulin became available for use as a treatment for diabetes, changing the lives of millions of people.

Type 1: Insulin Dependent

• When the pancreas fails to make enough insulin, a patient is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes has traditionally been diagnosed in childhood or adolescence. Blood glucose levels must be checked several times per day. To do this, a patient uses a glucose meter, a small electronic device that reads the glucose level in a drop or two of blood. People with type 1 diabetes must inject insulin daily for the rest of their lives.

Type 2: Non-Insulin Dependent

• Type 2 diabetes develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin, and has traditionally been more common in adults over the age of 40. It is associated with being overweight or obese. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 95 percent of all diabetes cases. Patients initially diagnosed with type 2 diabetes begin a regimen of lifestyle changes as initial therapy, but the condition is degenerative and treatment additions and modifications occur frequently. Many type 2 diabetes patients will require injected insulin over time as their disease progresses.

Diet

• Eat regularly throughout the day, consuming a meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours. Mentally divide your plate into fifths, making two-fifths of each meal a high-fiber starchy food lower on the glycemic index. Examples of low glycemic index carbohydrates include brown rice, cereal made with oats or barley, and whole grain bread and pasta. Another two-fifths of the meal should be vegetables, salad or fruit, with the final fifth consisting of a protein food such as meat, fish, eggs, cheese or beans.

Warning

• Uncontrolled diabetes has many side effects, including cataracts, blurry vision, blindness, hardening of the arteries, kidney failure, nerve damage in the feet and poor circulation in the lower limbs. Consult with your doctor or a registered dietitian for specific dietary recommendations for controlling blood glucose levels.