Total: 23.6 million children and adults in the United States—7.8% of the population—have diabetes.
Diagnosed: 17.9 million people
Undiagnosed: 5.7 million people
Pre-diabetes: 57 million people
New Cases: 1.6 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older each year.
Data from the 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet
Do you need to change your eating habits? Are you struggling to control your sweet tooth? When you have diabetes, including sweets in your diet requires careful planning. However, it can be hard to just save sweets for special occasions.
Learn MoreDiabetes is a chronic disease in which a person has high levels of blood sugar. This can be a result of the body not producing enough insulin, or the body not responding to the insulin that is produced. Without enough insulin, glucose builds in the bloodstream instead of moving into the cells, and the body can't use it for energy. Due to high levels of blood sugar in the body, a person with diabetes is likely to experience frequent urination, increased thirst, and increased hunger.
There are two main types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is the result of the body not producing insulin. Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance, where the body does not respond to or use insulin properly. This also known as adult-onset diabetes, which can be regulated with medications, diet, and lifestyle changes.
Type 1 Diabetes can be caused by genetic factors, as it can be passed down from parents to their children. It is most likely an autoimmune disorder.
The most easily recognized symptoms of both types of diabetes are frequent urination, increased thirst, and increased hunger. Some lesser known symptoms are blurred vision, which is the result of prolonged high blood sugar causing glucose absorption, leading to the shape of the lenses of the eye changing, fatigue, and weight loss. It is important to note that Type 2 Diabetes generally develops over time, so many of these symptoms may appear gradually or not at all. With Type 1 Diabetes, symptoms develop over a short period of time .
While there is no cure for diabetes, there are various treatment options which, when combined with proper education and careful monitoring of blood glucose levels, result in successful moderation of the disease over time.
For those suffering from Type 1 Diabetes, it is important to be able to recognize and treat both low blood sugar and high blood sugar. This involved knowing how to test your blood glucose levels, and being able to inject insulin.
Insulin allows blood sugar to leave the bloodstream and enter cells. There are different types of insulin; your health care provider will help you choose the type most appropriate for your needs. Everyone with Type 1 diabetes must take insulin every day, ranging from one to four times per day. They must also be able to adjust the amount of insulin they are taking based on a number of variables, including when they exercise, when they are sick, their food intake levels, and when they re traveling.
In addition to the careful monitoring of insulin levels, those with Type 1 Diabetes must pay careful attention to their diet as well as their eating schedule. For instance, eating meals at the same time every day helps keep blood glucose levels from getting too high or low. It is important to eat healthy, well balanced meals to maintain diet and regulate blood sugar levels.
Exercise is also an important part of the treatment of diabetes, as it helps control the amount of sugar in the blood and also burns calories and fat to maintain a healthy weight.
For those with diabetes, careful and consistent monitoring and treatment of blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure will help to reduce the risk of kidney disease, eye disease, nervous system disease, heart attack, and stroke.