An American Epidemic Diabetes

An American Epidemic Diabetes

Diabetes is a disorder in which the body does not produce enough insulin, resulting in too much sugar in the bloodstream. Type 1-diabetes is a type of diabetes which is also called juvenile onset diabetes. It is an auto-immune system disease where the body's immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. It can appear at any age, although usually under the age forty. This article explains mainly about the type-2 diabetes, which is also known as adult onset diabetes. It is the most common form of diabetes. About ninety to ninety-five percent of people with diabetes have type-2 diabetes. It is associated with older age, family history of diabetes, physical inactivity, ethnicity and most importantly with obesity. A forty-six year old diabetic Maria DelMundo was five feet two inches tall and weighed 190 pounds. Too many calories and too little exercise are the main causes of type-2 diabetes. About ninety percent people with type-2 diabetes are obese. To illustrate, the statistics shown in the article suggests that in 1991 only seven states in the United States had obesity rates over fifteen percent, whereas by 1998, only five states did not. Jerry Alder and Claudia Kalb, the authors of the article, states that, "It usually strikes after 40, but new data shows a dramatic rise among people in their 30s. Children are now being diagnosed with type 2 as well..." Hereditary factors appear to play a role in diabetes, but according to the article, the disorder is practically never directly present at birth. Type-2 diabetes is not only rising in African Americans, Hispanics and American Indian but also in Caucasians. Statistics mentioned in the article show that in 1990, only 4.6 percent of Caucasians were diagnosed of type-2 diabetes. However, in 1998 it rose up to 5.9 percent. Few possible warning signs of type-2 diabetes include frequent urination, constant thirst and hunger, blurred vision, frequent infections and slow healing of wounds and sores. In addition, uncontrolled diabetes can end up in serious medical problems like ulcerating sores, blindness, kidney failure, stroke, heart disease, severe genital problems and nerve damage. In order to maintain a normal blood sugar level, proper diet and regular exercise is very essential. Food with low glycemic indices like tomato soup, brown rice and pumpernickel bread is healthier for diabetic people.