What is Diabetes and where
do we stand?
As it has been identified in my previous blog that diabetes is a
rapidly increasing epidemic among societies around the world. It is in my opinion a pivotal point to begin understanding this topic by defining Diabetes.
Diabetes has been
described as “a condition in which the body does not make enough insulin or the
body cells cannot use insulin properly”.
Diabetes New Zealand states that presently there is no cure
for this condition however it can be controlled and a person with Diabetes can
still live a full and active life.
There are three types of diabetes, namely:
Type 1
The bodies
of people with Type 1 Diabetes do not make any insulin (or very little). Their pancreas’ has stopped making insulin,
and their bodies are unable to use glucose for energy. They therefore require insulin by injection,
along with some dietary changes in order to control their condition.In people who have type 2 diabetes, the production of insulin is slow or their bodies may be resistant to insulin. “Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition in that the pancreas continues to get more sluggish over time” and people with this type may become dependent on insulin.
It is
believed that this type of diabetes is able to be treated and controlled by
weight loss, physical activities and at times, tablets. The statistics of this type of diabetes is
the one that is increasing at an alarming rate and affecting majority of the
population.
andGestational diabetes is often formed in pregnant women who have high levels of glucose in their blood.
Type 2 diabetes is known to be the type that is most common and is increasing at a rapid rate,
this type is however the type that can be controlled by a healthy diet and
exercise. Type 2 diabetes is usually
found in adults however the numbers are increasing in teenagers and children.
My question then, is why are people not aware of these
statistics and educated as to ways in which they are able to prevent the onset of this
condition.
The World Health Organisation suggests that the annual death toll of the condition
already exceeds that of AIDS and is but only increasing. They have put in place a campaign to educate
people on healthy food choices.
I believe, in order to target this condition and decrease
the number of lives affected it would be beneficial to highlight the
current statistics to society and the severe implications this condition might
have. Together with this information,
informing people as to how they are able to prevent the condition through
healthy lifestyles.
It is my concern
that if people do not acknowledge or act on preventing the onset of this
condition it will affect more adult’s lives as well as the lives of the younger
generation. This condition has been
described as being as serious as Cancer, a disease people are generally very
familiar with, so why aren’t people aware of the significance of Diabetes?
Hi Sandy,
ReplyDeleteYou have chosen a really interesting topic. I hope you will delve into some evidence based research that indicates what 'we' need to do to prevent type 2 diabetes. Your blog reads will with some interesting links to the statistics. Well done.
Cheryl.
I completely agree that the implications of diabetes needs to be more widely publisised. I believe that governments need to take more control of this 'epidetemic' to unsure that international companies are not taking advantage of individuals, through the likes of advertising, to sell products that are not good for us and are known, in high amounts, to increase a persons risk of type 2 diabetes. This can be seen when New York city banned selling soft drinks over 16 ounces.
ReplyDeleteHi Sandy
ReplyDeleteThanks for explaining about the different types of diabetes and making it easy to understand. I knew that there are different types of diabetes but I wasn't sure which was which and what the real differences where. I now have a better understanding of diabetes.
I also now understand which diabetes my father in law has and how this may impact on him in later years, and on our family.
Angie
Sandy, this topic is fast becoming an increasingly relevant issue in New Zealand. The description of the different types of diabetes was very informative. I was particularly interested in the gestational diabetes and happened across this research article on diabetes in pregnancy http://www.hrc.govt.nz/news-and-publications/publications/diabetes-pregnancy-creating-dangerous-cycle.
ReplyDeleteSome initial findings of the study was that the number of women who developed this condition has double in the last ten years, and that babies exposed to this condition were “more likely to become obese and develop type 2 diabetes as teenagers or adults” (Rowan & Rush, 2010, para. 3). It does appear that obesity and diabetes go hand in hand. I look forward to your remaining posts on this matter.