Diabetes: A National Health Concern

Diabetes: A National Health Concern

Fast food diets, lack of exercise and an aging population have made diabetes a growing health concern in the United States. Health educators say the only way to reverse the trend is for Americans to fundamentally change the way the way we live.

"For many people, avoiding Type II diabetes is about making smarter lifestyle choices," says Marilyn S. Bame, a diabetes educator and dietitian at St. Luke’s Hospital in Maumee, Ohio (pop. 15,237). "Diabetes affects the body from head to toe. It’s why it’s so important to take care of yourself to reduce your risk."

More than 18 million Americans have diabetes. Of those, 90 to 95 percent have Type II diabetes. Type II diabetes occurs when your body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or your cells ignore the insulin that is produced. Insulin carries sugar from your blood to the cells where it fuels the body. As the sugar builds in the blood, it can damage your heart, blood vessels, eyes and kidneys.

Type I diabetes is most common in children and occurs when the body’s immune system attacks specialized cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Five to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes are Type I.

Both types of diabetes are linked to heart disease, stroke and blindness, and the disease is the leading cause of non trauma-related amputation.

Reducing risk

While genetics are a factor in Type II diabetes, the real culprit is how we live our lives. "The number one cause of Type II diabetes," Bame says, "is being overweight. We have an epidemic of obesity in this country." She points to fast food diets that are high in calories and low in nutrients as powering the diabetes epidemic.

When obesity is combined with an inactive lifestyle, diabetes risk increases. "When you’re active, that decreases your body’s resistance to insulin. And because your muscles are using the sugar in your bloodstream to fuel activity, there’s less sugar for the insulin to transport," she says. "Also, strong muscles use insulin better."

Another factor is age. "People live longer today than they did 30 years ago. That longevity, combined with the aging means that the pancreas, which makes insulin, doesn’t work as well," Bame says, noting that the natural tendency for insulin levels to increase with age makes it even more important for older people to stay physically active.

Children and diabetes

The growing numbers of children who have Type II diabetes is particularly alarming, says Mark Norris, a nurse and diabetes educator at Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff, Neb. (pop. 14,732). He says the trend reflects the food choices and inactive lifestyle that contribute to Type II diabetes in adults.

"Parents need to be role models," Norris adds. "It doesn’t matter what you say, because if you eat fast food, your children will mimic what you do."

He recommends that families work together to choose and prepare meals that are healthy, reduce their intake of high-calorie sports drinks and soda, and participate in physical activities together.

"Children with Type II diabetes face a lifetime of increasing risk for complications," he says. "Cutting that risk is about families taking responsibility for their health."

Mardy Fones is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tenn.

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