DIABETES DEFINED

TYPE 1:Less common than type 2, about 5 percent of people with diabetes have type 1. Type 1 diabetes was previously known as “juvenile diabetes” because it’s most often diagnosed in children and young adults. In simple terms, the food you consume is broken down into glucose, which provides the energy your body needs to function properly. The body uses insulin to burn that glucose. When someone has type 1, his or her body does not produce insulin.

HOW IT’S TREATED: Insulin therapy is necessary. Additional medication/ treatments may also be used.

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TYPE 2:Most common form of diabetes. When someone has type 2, their body makes insulin but might not make enough and does not use it properly. When the disease first starts, the pancreas produces extra insulin but eventually can’t make enough to maintain normal levels of blood glucose. Glucose then builds up in the blood, where it causes a host of problems rather than going into the cells and providing energy. Type 2 diabetes is generally progressive, with the body’s ability to produce its own insulin declining over time.

HOW IT’S TREATED: Lifestyle changes (diet and exercise). Medication and/or insulin may also be necessary if lifestyle changes aren’t adequate to regulate blood glucose levels. There is no cure, so it’s all about management.

Risky Business

“Two things you can’t control, which are very important factors, are genes and increasing age. You can’t avoid your genetics or getting older. If you don’t have the genes, you’re not going to develop type 2 diabetes,” notes Matt Petersen, managing director of medical information for the American Diabetes Association.

sedentary. If anything, genetics are to blame for diabetes, but being overweight and sedentary are triggers.”

Petersen notes that it’s unfair to say people won’t get type 2 diabetes if they just take better care of themselves, but neither should the benefits of lifestyle changes be ignored. Research has shown that improving diet and losing even a small amount of weight can delay the development of type 2 diabetes among at-risk adults by as much as 40 to 60 percent.

Lifestyle modifications can also help someone who has been diagnosed with diabetes keep it under control without medication for some time.

“Usually, in time, this begins to fail and medication is necessary simply because diabetes is a progressive disease,” Petersen observes.

Important factors: genes + increasing age

Certain racial and ethnic groups are at somewhat higher risk and therefore more susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes. These include African-Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. “You can only develop type 2 diabetes if you have the genetic predisposition, but lifestyle generally plays a role,” Petersen explains. “Our genes haven’t really changed over the last few decades, but lifestyle has changed. Americans have a great abundance of cheap and tasty calories and are now heavier than ever before; they’re also more

“It’s, unfortunately, not the case that if you just maintain your weight and stay active this will keep you from needing medication forever, but it will be helpful. Healthy eating and physical activity are common elements in treating diabetes, cancer and heart disease, and even if you need medication, it’s not a time to stop a healthy lifestyle.”

BE AWARE!

THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS CAN INDICATE YOU HAVE PROGRESSED FROM PREDIABETES TO TYPE 2 DIABETES, SO SEE YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER RIGHT AWAY IF YOU NOTICE THESE SIGNS: