Ask Joan: What You Need to Know About Diabetes | News

November is National Diabetes Month, how much do you know about diabetes? Most of us have heard that it is a serious illness with an imbalance in the body’s blood sugar levels and that some people who have it may require to take insulin. But did you know that diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?

Simple facts about diabetes

More than 34 million people in the United States have diabetes. And one in five of them doesn’t know they have it.

More than 88 million US adults have prediabetes, and more than 84 percent are unaware that they are in this condition. Prediabetes increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Over the last two decades, the number of adult Americans diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled as the population ages and becomes overweight.

Diabetes mellitus

According to the CDC, diabetes is a long-term health condition that affects how the body converts food into energy. Most of the food we eat is broken down into sugar, also known as glucose, which is released into the bloodstream. When blood sugar levels rise, it warns the pancreas to release insulin. This allows blood sugar levels to enter the cells of the body and be used as energy. Diabetes disrupts this process, so the body cannot make enough insulin and cannot use it more effectively than it needs to. As a result, there is too much blood sugar left in the bloodstream. Over time, according to experts, this excess sugar can cause serious health problems such as heart disease, loss of vision, and kidney disease.

3 types of diabetes

According to the CDC, there are three types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused when the immune system accidentally attacks itself and prevents the body from making insulin. About 5-10 percent of diabetics are type 1. They have to take insulin daily to survive. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes often occur early in life in children, teenagers, and young adults. There is currently no cure.

Type 2 prevents the body from using insulin well and keeping blood sugar levels within the normal range. About 90-95% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. The disease develops over many years and is usually diagnosed in adults, but it is increasingly occurring in children, teenagers, and young adults. The disease can be prevented or delayed by changing lifestyles such as losing weight, eating, and working.

Gestational diabetes occurs in pregnant women who have never had the disease before. Babies born to women with gestational diabetes are at increased risk of health problems such as obesity and ultimately type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes often disappears after giving birth to a baby, but it can increase the risk for mothers who develop type 2 diabetes later.

If you have diabetes or want to know more about diabetes, the Healthy Living Center of Excellence is a program that helps people with diabetes and other chronic illnesses improve their health through diet, exercise and lifestyle choices. Is provided. These programs are free. For more information, please contact the following center. https://healthyliving4me.org/programs/ Or 978-946-1211. National Diabetes Month in November is the perfect time to get started.

Are you struggling to care for older adults or are you struggling to find resources? Experienced staff will help you.Visit us online www.ESMV.org For more information. You can also call us at 800-892-0890 or email us. [email protected].. Joan Hatem-Roy is CEO of Merrimack Valley and North Shore Elder Services.