Diabetes Awareness Month

For Diabetes Awareness Month I am excited to inform you what diabetes is all about. According to the CDC, Diabetes is #7 leading cause of death in the United States. 1/5 people don’t even know they have diabetes. Unfortunately, a lot of people are not taking their health seriously. So, in the last 20 years the number of people diagnosed with diabetes has doubled. Yikes!

What exactly is diabetes? Diabetes is a chronic long-lasting health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. Your body breaks down most of the food you consume into sugar which then is released into your bloodstream. Ever wonder why you’re so hyper when you have a lot of sugar? Well that’s the body’s natural way of getting rid of the glucose. But with diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin or it can’t use it as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much sugar stays in your bloodstream. This can cause serious health issues. Such as heart disease, vision loss, and/or kidney disease.

There are 3 types of diabetes:

Type 1 — is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake). Unfortunately, no one knows how to prevent type 1 diabetes. People who are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are mainly children, teenagers and young adults. Once diagnosed, you’ll have to take insulin every day to survive.
Type 2 — is usually diagnosed in adults. But recently, more children, teens and young adults are being diagnosed with Type 2. This type of diabetes has no symptoms so it’s really important to get you blood sugar tested. Type 2 diabetes can be treated by living a healthy lifestyle. Such as, losing weight, eating healthy food and staying active.
Type 3 — is Gestational Diabetes which can occur in pregnant women who never had diabetes before. Gestational Diabetes is usually temporary and goes away after the baby is born. However, women who experience Gestational Diabetes while pregnant have an increased chance of having Type 2 diabetes later in life. The baby can also be affected by being obese as a child or a teen.

90 million adults, are prediabetic. With prediabetes, blood sugar levels are higher then normal. But not high enough for Type 2 diabetes.