Diabetes is a scary diagnosis. A doctor’s appointment may leave a person with more questions than answers: what will happen to me? Will I have to take needles the rest of my life? What do I do to stay healthy? … How did I get Diabetes? From personal experience, this was a major question in my mind. First of all, it is important to understand the condition and how it works. Put simply, diabetes results when the body kills off its own insulin-producing cells in the pancreas or when the body becomes resistant to its own insulin. Insulin is a hormone that allows the cells of the body to access the sugar from the food. In a sense, insulin is like the key to the cell?? the cells, a diabetic with high blood sugar may feel tired, among many things.
This takes us to the main question: what causes diabetes? As a type I diabetic, I have asked myself that question many, many times. Of course, type I diabetes and type II diabetes have different causes, which we will briefly explore:
Type I diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disorder.
As I mentioned above, this means the body has killed off its own insulin cells. Studies have shown that a phenomenon called molecular mimicry can be partly to blame: some foreign substance (a virus, for example) has entered the body, and is extremely similar to the body??ifestyle. Over 90% of cases of diabetes are type II diabetes. Most type II diabetics produce insulin, but they develop a phenomenon called insulin resistance, meaning the body cannot use the insulin it is producing. However, I cannot stress enough how big of a role the lifestyle plays in this condition. Most newly diagnosed type II diabetics are overweight and sedentary. Studies have shown that excess body fat may interfere with the body??pidly lost about 30 pounds and was “fatigued, tired and dehydrated.” That?? Maryville College. He will be the third generation in his family to do so. His grandfather, Mike Talley, and father, Mark Talley, both played baseball at the college before him. The younger Talley will attend the college on an academic scholarship after finishing high school with a 4.1 GPA.
“I have a very good support system,” he said. “My grandmother, and mother always have extra stuff in their purses and I have a great group of family and friends around me. It is a true blessing, I believe.”
This story was edited for presentation on the Web. Additional information and details are available for subscribers only. If you want every word of Blount County’s best news and information source you can get home delivery and e-edition subscriptions here. Nobody knows Blount better than The Daily Times, your hometown newspaper for 125 years and counting.
By Rheta Murry
Originally published: May 28. 2010 3:01AM