Watch for Diabetes

Posted: June 1, 2004

Simply stated, diabetes means the body has lost its main source of fuel, and the body cannot survive without fuel.

Diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas, a little organ near the stomach that produces insulin (a hormone), can't make enough insulin or the body can't use the insulin properly. Insulin is important because it helps get glucose (a sugar that comes from most of the foods we eat) into our cells for energy. With diabetes, glucose builds up in the blood instead of being used for energy.

Diabetes is a serious and growing problem. An estimated 17 million Americans have diabetes, but only 11.1million cases are diagnosed.

Who is at risk for diabetes?
Members of African American, Native American/Alaska Native, Asian American, Hispanic American/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander ethnic groups are at increased risk for diabetes.

Other things that can put you at higher risk for developing diabetes include:

• Being more than 20 percent above your ideal body weight
• Having a mother, father, brother, or sister with diabetes
• Giving birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds or having diabetes during pregnancy
• Having high blood pressure (140/90 or higher)
• Having abnormal blood lipid levels, such as low HDL (good) cholesterol (less than 35 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)), or high triglycerides (greater than 250 mg/dL)
• Having abnormal glucose tolerance in an earlier diabetes test

What are the different types of diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile-onset or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Type 1 diabetes usually occurs in children and young adults and is considered an autoimmune disease.

Symptoms include increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and extreme tiredness.

Type 2 diabetes is also known as adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). This form of diabetes usually develops in adults over the age of 40 and is most common among adults over age 55. About 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight.

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes develop gradually and are not as noticeable as in type 1 diabetes. Symptoms include feeling tired or ill, frequent urination (especially at night), unusual thirst, weight loss, blurred vision, frequent infections, and slow healing of sores.

Gestational diabetes develops or is discovered during pregnancy. This type usually disappears when the pregnancy is over, but women who have had gestational diabetes have a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in their lives.

Pre-diabetes. People with diabetes test results that fall between the “normal” and “diabetes” levels have impaired glucose metabolism and are at risk for developing diabetes, as well as heart attacks and strokes.

Can diabetes be prevented?
In 2001, the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) Clinical Trial conducted by the National Institutes of Health showed that the onset of type 2 diabetes could be prevented or delayed in people at high risk by losing 5 to 7 percent of body weight and getting 30 minutes of physical activity, such as brisk walking, on most days.

The good news is that these lifestyle changes worked for men and women, for people of every ethnic or racial group who participated in the study, and it was especially successful for people over age 60.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health

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