Diabetes Essay

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Diabetes is a disease that “hits close to home”. It is a disease that runs in both, my mothers and fathers, sides of my family, with my father actually having the disease. And about 2 years ago my fiancé was also diagnosed with diabetes, which does not run in his family. Diabetes Mellitus, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is a variable disorder of carbohydrate metabolism caused by a combination of hereditary and environmental factors and usually characterized by inadequate secretion or utilization of insulin, by excessive urine production, by excessive amounts of sugar in the blood and urine, and by thirst, hunger, and loss of weight (m-w.com). Diabetes is in the top ten of the leading causes of death in the US, ranking in at number 7 (The Facts). Diabetes Mellitus has two main types: Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1, previously referred to as Insulin Dependent or Juvenile Onset Mellitus Diabetes, is typically diagnosed in children and young adults. In Type 1 the body essentially can no longer produce the proper amount of insulin. Insulin, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is a protein pancreatic hormone secreted by the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans that is essential especially for the metabolism of carbohydrates and the regulation of glucose levels in the blood and that when insufficiently produced results in diabetes mellitus (m-w.com). The improper production of insulin is caused by an autoimmune attack on the pancreas. A majority of people with type 1 diabetes have antibodies that are abnormal. The abnormal antibodies mixed with inflammatory cells is not good and results in tissue damage. Beta cells of the pancreas, which are responsible for insulin production, are attacked by the misdirected immune system...

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... normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. Studies have shown that by losing weight and increasing physical activity people can prevent or delay prediabetes from progressing to diabetes (The Facts). NDEP also states that 25.6 million Americans ages 20 or older have diabetes and 10.9 million Americans ages 65 and older have diabetes (The Facts).
Diabetes and diabetes research is something that will always be extremely important to me. Knowing that it runs in both sides of my family definitely encourages me to live a healthier lifestyle, so that I can hopefully prevent ever developing the disease. Although insulin injections and other medications help to maintain proper glucose levels, it definitely isn’t a cure. So much is still unknown about diabetes and I hope as researchers discover more and more about this disease, that a cure is hopefully discovered.

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