Diabetes, its cause, complications and prevention methods.
This health problem affects approximately 16 million people in the U.S. in addition to at least another five million who do not realize they are afflicted with the condition. These already high numbers swell each year along with the rising health care costs associated with the disease. This paper examines the causes, complications and preventive measures people can take to prevent Type II Diabetes. Causes The body produces the chemical insulin as a natural means of managing the production of glucose in the system. When the body does not produce enough insulin, larger amounts of glucose are permitted into the bloodstream thus causing the symptoms of diabetes. There are two kinds of diabetes,
Type One and Type Two.
Type One Diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is caused by the inability of the body to create insulin.
Type Two, or ‘adult-onset diabetes’ describes the circumstance where the body creates insulin but the muscles, liver and fat cannot properly process it.
This bodily resistance to insulin is due to both genetic and environmental reasons. Genetics play a role in the likelihood of developing diabetes, as studies on twins has shown. Family history also determines the tendency to gain weight which greatly contributes to the condition. ‘Environmental reasons’ is a polite way to say overweight. The number of diabetes cases is growing in America because American’s waistlines are growing.