A 'Touch of Sugar' Can Lead to Problems for Those with Diabetes

DIABETES FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW Diabetes is a serious disease that can lead to blindness, heart disease, strokes, kidney failure, and amputations. There are 18.2 million Americans with diabetes -- and nearly one-third of them (or 5.2 million people) do not know they have the disease! Some people with diabetes have symptoms. If you have any of the following symptoms, contact your doctor: Extreme thirst Frequent urination Unexplained weight loss For more information about diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association web site, email AskADA@diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES

Growing up in the Southern United States, the phrase, "a touch of sugar", was often used to refer to someone who developed diabetes. It was not uncommon for someone to lose a toe or an entire leg because they "got sugar".

Even with the drastic development of someone losing a body part, "sugar" was thought of as a part of life. As a young adult in college, the implications about "sugar" became clearer. The differences in the types of diabetes a person could get, and the long-term consequences of getting this disease became much clearer. Even with all the information about diabetes today, many people are not aware that diabetes is an insidious, sneaky, diabolical, chronic disease that has no cure. Moreover, diabetes has the capacity to cause serious complications.

Diabetes affects the body's ability to produce or respond to insulin, a hormone that allows blood glucose (blood sugar) to enter the cells and be used for energy. The American Diabetes Association reports that there are 18.2 million people in the United States, or 6.3% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 13 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 5.2 million people (or nearly one-third) are unaware that they have the disease.

As previously mentioned, there are two types of diabetes (not including gestational diabetes, which some women develop during pregnancy.) TYPE 1 (insulin dependent) usually begins during childhood or adolescence. The pancreas no longer is able to make insulin with TYPE 1 diabetes. TYPE 2 (non-insulin dependent), which usually occurs after age 45 when we become more settled in life, become less active, and put on additional weight.

TYPE 2 is not as straight-forward as TYPE 1 diabetes and is often referred to as a "touch of sugar." A person with TYPE 2 diabetes has high blood glucose levels because they have a pancreas that does not produce enough insulin, a liver that releases too much glucose, or muscle cells that do not really take in glucose.

While diabetes is a chronic disease that has no cure, there are simple tests to predict your risk of developing the disease. One such test, "The Diabetes Risk Test" may be found at http://www.diabetes.org/risk-test.jsp. To diagnose diabetes, health care providers may use other tests.

By the time a person develops symptoms and has a diagnosis of diabetes, it is often too late to prevent possible problems such as blindness, kidney disease, amputations, heart attack, and stroke. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. However, there are many things that can be done to prevent or delay most complications.

The most important step is to assess your risk for diabetes. One simple assessment is the Diabetes Risk Test mentioned above. As Dr. James R. Gavin III, M.D., Ph.D., a spokesman for the American Diabetes Association says, "Diabetes is a disease about which we can do a great deal, but only when those affected are informed and empowered to take the kind of control of this disease that is now possible." Taking control begins with becoming aware of your risk for getting diabetes.

One way to take control is to become a more disciplined person. When families adopt a healthy lifestyle with simple changes in eating and exercise habits, they reduce their children's chances of developing this diabetes and other health problems later in life. Other ways to reduce the risk of developing this disease include controlling stress, not smoking, and drinking only in moderation.

During March, the American Diabetes Association issues the American Diabetes Alert, an annual public campaign to raise the awareness of the 5.2 million Americans with undiagnosed diabetes. This one-day call encourages the public to determine their risk for diabetes by taking the Diabetes Risk Test. The test is still available on the web site. Take the test if you feel you are at risk.

Make an appointment with your health care provider to see how you can incorporate more healthy habits into your lifestyle to reduce your chances of developing diabetes.

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