November has been designated national American Diabetes Month. With Halloween gone and Thanksgiving/Christmas around the corner, this a great time to discuss the ins and outs of living with diabetes.
Mississippi has been especially hit hard with this disease. The Center for Disease Control ranks the Magnolia State third overall in adults living with Type II diabetes. The raw numbers state that almost 15 percent of our state’s population has the condition or is pre-diabetic.
To understand this condition, we must first understand what is going on inside of our bodies. In essence, the food and drinks that we take in have three basic categories: fats, proteins, and sugars. Carbohydrates are listed as sugars because they are transformed into glucose inside the body. Sugar and glucose are not the bad guys, though. Each cell in your body requires two things to function: oxygen and glucose.
Insulin, a hormone that is secreted from the pancreas, works as the key that opens up the cell to allow the glucose to enter. I teach my students that is like a not-so-handsome guy (glucose) trying to enter a popular nightclub. The bouncer (the cell) won’t let him in unless he has a good-looking date (insulin) accompanying him. Normally, this glucose-insulin balance is well maintained by the body and results in few problems, however, there are complications from the over or under production of insulin.
Too little insulin creates not enough glucose entering the cell. Too much insulin depletes glucose reserves.
Diabetics typically fall into one of two categories. A Type I Diabetic was born with, or otherwise acquired, damage to the pancreas. For this reason, they do not create enough insulin. Although they have lots of glucose outside of the cell, the cell itself is starving because there is no way to bring it inside and be used. Many times, Type I Diabetes is seen in children from birth. Hence, it is often referred to as “juvenile diabetes.” People with this condition must constantly monitor their blood glucose levels and give themselves insulin either thru a pump or injection.
Type II Diabetes is far more common to Mississippi. In this condition, a person produces adequate amounts of insulin, however, their cells have become resistant to it. Consider the same not-so-handsome guy (glucose) trying to enter the nightclub (cell) with the same date (insulin) every night. Sooner or later, the bouncer will wise up and stop letting him in. This is the case with Type II Diabetics. This causes the same problem getting glucose into the cell.
However, most are not born with this condition. It is acquired through many years of poor dietary choices.
The more sugar/carbohydrates you eat, the more times the insulin is activated. Genetics also play a large role. Consider that the not-so-handsome guy has a certain amount of times he can enter the nightclub before the bouncer stops him. Your genetic makeup defines how many times you can call upon insulin to open the cell door for glucose.
I do not have diabetes, but I have family members who do. Because of this, I stay on top of my blood sugar levels. Use the month of November to get checked for a blood glucose problems. If you are prediabetic, use this time to talk with your physician and lay out an action plan to getting back on the right track of diabetes management. Small changes in your lifestyle can add years to it!
Stay safe out there.
M. Eric Williams, MS, NR-P is a syndicated columnist and the Assistant Director of Emergency Medical Education at Jones County Junior College. He is a current Doctoral Researcher at Delta State University and has 15 years’ experience in Emergency Medicine.
