Both of my parents have the chronic disease called diabetes, so diabetes is a topic I want to learn more about. How will it affect my parents? Will it affect me? How do I prevent it? Everyone should be concerned about diabetes affecting them. Some people have diabetes but are not aware. If you are not obese, but still have a poor diet, diabetes could affect you as well.
Diabetes is a common and chronic illness that almost 29 million Americans suffer from, and a large percentage of those individuals are minorities such as African Americans and Native Americans (Diabetes, 2016). There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2, but most individuals have type 2. Due to the increase in American obesity, type 2 diabetes …show more content…
A physician, family nurse practitioner, any other healthcare professional can detect diabetes by reading blood glucose levels with an A1c test. The A1c test can be done every 3 to 4 months, the normal time a blood cell lives. After withdrawing blood, they can test the blood for extra attached glucose. These extra sugars on red blood cells can cause an A1c test to read higher, meaning a patient’s blood sugar is high. Normal levels of blood sugar are around 80-140 mg/dL. To keep blood sugar at a normal range, advancements in medicine have allowed for people with diabetes to either take an insulin shot or pills daily. Medicines help to create more insulin to eliminate extra sugars and use them as energy, so they do not block blood vessels. However, diabetes medications that lower high blood glucose could cause negative effects like hypoglycemia, low blood, which is treated by eating more …show more content…
A proper diet and exercise regimen is proven to help prevent numerous diseases and diabetes is one them. Doctors suggest that adults eat around 1600 to 2000 calories per day and exercise at least 30 minutes daily. Eating the correct balance of healthy sugars, carbohydrates, and proteins help keep the body balanced and healthy. People should decrease the intake of foods that are high in salts, fats, and sugar while increasing their intake of fruits and vegetables, which will give their body more nutrients. Exercising strengthens all the muscles, including the heart muscles. If one already has diabetes and wishes to prevent it from causing cardiovascular problems, a patient should take their prescribed medicine as suggested by their physician, and make a positive change in the way they eat and