In The News

Diabetes is often heard of but most don’t know what it is

We often hear about diabetes and see it mentioned in news stories about health and how it can be avoided by doing (exercise, for example) or not doing (being obese) certain things. But what diabetes is may be unknown to many.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.

The cause of diabetes is still a mystery, although the ADA says that both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles in its development.

According to ADA information, 23.6 million children and adults in the United States, or 7.8 percent of the population have diabetes. And while 17.9 million people have been diagnosed with the disease, 5.7 million people are unaware that they have diabetes.

There are different types of diabetes that most are unaware of.

• Type 1 diabetes result from the body’s failure to produce insulin. It is estimated that 5-10 percent of Americans who are diagnosed with the disease have type 1.

• Type 2 diabetes results from insulin resistance (a condition in which the body fails to properly use insulin), combined with relative insulin deficiency. Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.

• Gestational diabetes, is found immediately after pregnancy in 2 percent to 10 percent of women, usually type 2, and

• Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. There are 57 million Americans who have pre-diabetes, in addition to the 23.6 million with diabetes.

Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes.

However, diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes.

Some diabetes symptoms include:

• Frequent urination

• Excessive thirst

• Extreme hunger

• Unusual weight loss

• Increased fatigue

• Irritability, and

• Blurry vision.

Causes of diabetes

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes have different causes. Yet two factors are important in both.  First, a person must inherit a predisposition to the disease. Second, something in the environment must trigger diabetes.

In most cases of type 1 diabetes, people need to inherit risk factors from both parents.  We think these factors must be more common in whites because whites have the highest rate of type 1 diabetes. Because most people who are at risk do not get diabetes, researchers want to find out what the environmental triggers are.

One trigger might be related to cold weather. Type 1 diabetes develops more often in winter than summer and is more common in places with cold climates. Another trigger might be viruses. Perhaps a virus that has only mild effects on most people triggers type 1 diabetes in others.

Early diet may also play a role. Type 1 diabetes is less common in people who were breastfed and in those who first ate solid foods at later ages.

Type 2 diabetes has a stronger genetic basis than type 1, yet it also depends more on environmental factors. A family history of type 2 diabetes is one of the strongest risk factors for getting the disease but it only seems to matter in people living a Western lifestyle.

Americans and Europeans eat too much fat and too little carbohydrate and fiber, and they get too little exercise. Type 2 diabetes is common in people with these habits. The ethnic groups in the United States with the highest risk are African-Americans, Mexican- Americans, and Pima-Indians.

In contrast, people who live in areas that have not become Westernized tend not to get type 2 diabetes, no matter how high their genetic risk.

Obesity is a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Obesity is most risky for young people and for people who have been obese for a long time.

Barb Kampbell of The Trucker staff can be reached for comment at [email protected].