The number of Americans with diabetes is reaching epic proportions. Of the whopping 17 million people with the disease, roughly 35 percent of those have yet to be diagnosed, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA).* What is the reason for the surge in this disease? Americans are gaining weight and living sedentary lifestyles, which can lead to a certain type of diabetes.

  Insulin is a hormone that regulates the blood’s glucose (sugar) level and helps convert it into energy. Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body doesn’t make enough, or properly use, insulin. Under these conditions, glucose can build up in the bloodstream and potentially cause serious damage to many parts of the body.

  There are two types of diabetes. With Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes, the pancreas produces no insulin. People with Type 1 diabetes require daily insulin injections to survive. This type of diabetes most often starts in childhood, and currently it cannot be prevented (although a research study on prevention is underway).

  Ninety to ninety-five percent of people with diabetes have Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes.* In this case, the body produces some insulin, but it’s either an insufficient amount or not properly used. Type 2 diabetes is most common in overweight, inactive adults who are over age 45. It is especially prevalent among African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans. A national research study is underway to determine whether Type 2 diabetes can be prevented. It is treated through a combination of regular exercise, healthful eating, weight management and, sometimes, oral medication and/or insulin.

  Diabetes-related complications caused more than 450,000 deaths in the United States in 1999, according to the ADA.* Heart disease and stroke are two to four times as common in people with diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of lower limb amputations, often due to infection or gangrene starting with a sore that doesn't easily heal. It may also lead to kidney failure and blindness. More than half of people with diabetes have high blood pressure and another 60-70 percent have mild to severe forms of nerve disease.

  According to the ADA, most people with Type 1 diabetes will typically experience:

• Frequent urination
• Extreme thirst and hunger
• Unexplained weight loss
• Weakness and fatigue (In children, symptoms are sometimes mistaken for the flu.)
• Irritability

  As many as a third of the adults living with Type 2 diabetes don't even know it.* While some of these people will have no symptoms at all, others will have symptoms that mirror those of Type 1, along with these additional symptoms:

• Blurred vision
• Numbness in legs, feet or fingers
• Slow healing of cuts
• Frequent infections

  Most people with diabetes can lead active, healthy lives by keeping their insulin levels closer to normal, exercising regularly, maintaining their weight and eating a balanced diet. However, there is currently no cure for diabetes.

*Information retrieved May 6, 2002, from www.diabetes.org.