Diabetes affects 20.8 million adults and children in the United States alone. This is a frightening number, but what is more frightening is that, according to the American 
Diabetes Association, 6.2 million people don't even know that they have diabetes!
Diabetes comes in two forms, Type 1 and Type 2. They are different from each other. Diabetes Type 1 occurs when the body fails to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body fails to properly use insulin. This is the type of diabetes most Americans have. According to the American Diabetes Association, 5-10% of Americans with diabetes have Type 1, the rest with Type 2. Aside from Type 1 and 2 diabetes, there exists Gestational diabetes that occurs in pregnant women; about 4% of pregnant women each year will be affected.
There are also people that don't have diabetes, but do have pre-diabetes. It's a condition where the blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered diabetes Type 2. According to the American Diabetes Association, 54 million Americans have pre-diabetes. Add that number to the number of actual diabetes cases and you have quite a large number.
Risk factors and Symptoms
It's important to keep an eye out for the symptoms of diabetes. Diabetes can affect anyone, but is more likely to affect people who are overweight, have an immediate family member with diabetes, if you're over 45, are in a high-risk ethnic group, gave birth to a baby weighing more than nine pounds, have high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, according to the Foundations of Wellness.
Symptoms might include, but are not limited to: frequent need to urinate, feeling thirsty all the time, always hungry, unusual weight loss, feeling more and more fatigued, feeling irritable, and having blurred vision.
Prevention of diabetes
Diabetes comes in two forms, Type 1 and Type 2. They are different from each other. Diabetes Type 1 occurs when the body fails to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body fails to properly use insulin. This is the type of diabetes most Americans have. According to the American Diabetes Association, 5-10% of Americans with diabetes have Type 1, the rest with Type 2. Aside from Type 1 and 2 diabetes, there exists Gestational diabetes that occurs in pregnant women; about 4% of pregnant women each year will be affected.
There are also people that don't have diabetes, but do have pre-diabetes. It's a condition where the blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered diabetes Type 2. According to the American Diabetes Association, 54 million Americans have pre-diabetes. Add that number to the number of actual diabetes cases and you have quite a large number.
Risk factors and Symptoms
It's important to keep an eye out for the symptoms of diabetes. Diabetes can affect anyone, but is more likely to affect people who are overweight, have an immediate family member with diabetes, if you're over 45, are in a high-risk ethnic group, gave birth to a baby weighing more than nine pounds, have high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, according to the Foundations of Wellness.
Symptoms might include, but are not limited to: frequent need to urinate, feeling thirsty all the time, always hungry, unusual weight loss, feeling more and more fatigued, feeling irritable, and having blurred vision.
Prevention of diabetes
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