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Community Corner

Patch Picks: Diabetes Awareness Month

November is the month for diabetes awareness. Check out this information about the disease and protecting yourself against it.

About one third of all people with diabetes do not know they have the disease. Type 2 diabetes often does not have any symptoms, and only about five percent of all people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. According to the Joslin Diabetes Center, if you are at risk, type 2 diabetes can be prevented with moderate weight loss of between 10-15 pounds, and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day.

Here's a few facts Hazelwood Patch found beneficial to know about diabetes:

1. Diabetes Can Kill: According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), diabetes kills more people than breast cancer and AIDS every year.

2. Sweet Tooth: Eating too much sugar will not cause diabetes; however, excessive snaking can lead to weight gain, which puts you at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. People with diabetes are allowed to eat sweets, as long as it's in moderation and combined with exercise.

3. Diabetes Diagnosis:
Of the 23 million Americans who have diabetes, according to the ADA, nearly six million do not know they have it. Symptoms of diabetes include extreme fatigue, increased appetite, unexplained weight loss, blurry vision, an increased occurrence of vaginal infections, frequent urination and nausea.

4. Diabetes is not an Old Person Disease:
More children 18 and under are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1.85 million women between the ages of 18 and 44 have diabetes. Nearly 500,000 are undiagnosed.

5. Diabetes is Diabetes:
Either you have diabetes or you don't. Even if you are exercising and eating right, there is no cure for diabetes. Once you have it it's with you for life.

6. Insulin:
Is a natural hormone that helps keep blood glucose levels healthy to prevent any diabetes complications. If diet and medications are not keeping your blood glucose levels low, then insulin will be given.

7. Eating Habits:
People with diabetes need to eat a low fat diet, including vegetables and whole grains for optimal health. And, says the ADA, "dietetic" foods often contain no special benefit.

8. There are three types of diabetes:

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  • Type 1 diabetes (once known as juvenile diabetes) is when the body doesn't produce insulin. There is a hormone needed to convert starch and sugar into energy. It is most prevalent among adolescents.
  • Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It is when the body does not make enough, or does not properly use insulin.
  • Pregnant women risk developing gestational diabetes, a condition in which your body has difficulty managing glucose levels.

9. An Expensive Disease: Diabetes costs $174 billion annually, including $116 billion in direct medical expenses, according to an ADA report.

10. See It Coming: Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults, according to the CDC.

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