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Diabetes
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The body uses glucose (sugar) in the blood to feed and energize its cells. A hormone, called insulin, allows glucose to enter the cells. In type I diabetes insulin production by the pancreas is reduced or ceases. Insulin injections are required to compensate for the lack of insulin production. Type II diabetes is the more common form of diabetes. In type II diabetes there is both a deficiency of insulin and an inability of the cells to respond appropriately to the insulin that is there. Obesity in genetically vulnerable people is the trigger of type II diabetes in 75 percent of cases. Exercise has been shown to lower the risk of developing type II diabetes, even in those that are overweight.
Diabetes damages the cardiovascular system by producing abnormal cholesterol and lipid levels that may speed up arteriosclerosis. The risk of developing coronary artery disease is increased five times in diabetic women and two times in diabetic men. In diabetics the warning signs of heart disease may absent or atypical. Therefore, prevention and careful screening are extremely important for those with diabetes. Minimizing diabetes as a risk factor requires ongoing medical guidance, good control of blood sugar levels, and elimination of other risk factors.
Diabetes Resources:
For information, education, exercise program, and support contact John Muir Medical Center, Concord Campus Diabetes Center at (925) 941-5076 (John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek Campus) or (925) 674-2077 (John Muir Medical Center, Concord Campus). Online information can be found through the American Diabetes Association web site.