Of the estimated 20.8 million people in the U.S that have diabetes, 6.2 million people are undiagnosed and unaware. Could you be one of them?
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. It is the body's inability to produce insulin which is the hormone needed to convert glucose (sugar), starches and other food into energy. It is an autoimmune disease that is fatal unless treated with insulin injections to replace the missing hormone and control glucose levels.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is usually referred to as "obesity related" or "adult onset" diabetes. It is characterized as the body's inability to properly use insulin causing hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. It is manageable with exercise and diet modification.
Center for Disease Control Symptoms of Diabetes
- Frequent urination
- Excessive thirst
- Unexplained weight loss
- Extreme hunger
- Sudden Vision Changes
- Tingling or numbness of the hands or feet
- Fatigue
- Very dry skin
- Sores that are slow to heal
- More infections than usual
The fact remains that type-2 diabetes has been classified as an "epidemic" by the CDC but it is controllable. In most cases regular exercise and a controlled diet will be sufficient to manage the illness. While managing type-2 diabetes is a life-long process and is not easy, it is something that you can control yourself.
Diabetes Resources:
» Pancreatic Stem Cell Discovery Could Lead To Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes from PharmaGazette
Harry Heimberg of the JDRF Center at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in Belgium, and the Beta Cell Biology Consortium has published a study outlining how scientists isolated pancreatic stem cells in adult mice. Researchers hope the breakthrough could ... [Read More]
Tracked on: February 5, 2008 10:45 AM | Permalink to Trackback