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| Vol. 22, No. 9 |
| May 15, 2000 |
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Diabetes on the Rise by STEFANIE ASIN The Methodist Hospital The number of people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes has skyrocketed, with more than 2,200 diagnosed with the disease each day. A significant factor in the sharp rise is the increase in obese and sedentary adults in the United States, says Elaine Garrett, M.P.H., R.D., a certified diabetes educator at Methodist Health Care System's Institute for Preventive Medicine. "Being overweight is a tremendous risk factor in developing diabetes," she says. "Almost one-third of Americans are considered obese and one-half are considered overweight." The more excessive pounds you carry, the more insulin resistant your body becomes, she says. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to serious complications, such as loss of vision and kidney function, nerve damage and a higher risk for heart disease. Those diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes can control their disease with diet, exercise and, if needed, medication to avoid such complications, she says. Moderate weight loss alone often can control diabetes without the need for medications, she says. And exercising has been proven as an effective way to reduce the body's resistance to insulin. "Think of your cells as having doors on them. When you gain weight, the doors have a harder time opening and letting the glucose in," Garrett says. "When you exercise, the doors are more likely to swing open." Treatment for diabetes also can include pills and/or insulin. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and there is no cure for the disease. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy. Type 2 diabetes, a metabolic disorder, is by far more common than Type 1, an autoimmune disease most often occurring in children. If you are diagnosed with diabetes, Garrett recommends attending a diabetes education class to learn how to properly control the chronic disease. Garrett says the patient is the most important member of the health care team treating the disease. Patients need to learn how to reduce their calories if they are overweight, spread out their daily carbohydrate intake and monitor their blood sugar levels at home. "We know if people with diabetes control their disease, they can lower their risk of getting complications by as much as 70 percent," Garrett says. In Texas, an estimated 10,600 people died of lung cancer in 1999, and an estimated 11,500 Texans were diagnosed with lung cancer in 1999. In the United States, an estimated 158,900 people died of lung cancer in 1999, and an estimated 171,600 people were diagnosed with the disease in 1999.
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