Causes Type II Diabetes example essay topic

Diabetes Mellitus Research Essay Abstract Diabetes is a disease that affects 18.2 million people in the United States alone. This disease results when there is a high level of sugar in the blood for an extended period of time. It can be controlled by diet, exercise, pills and insulin injections. There are three main types of diabetes -- Type I, which affects primarily the younger population; Type II, which primarily affects the population above 40; and gestational diabetes, which affects women during the third trimester of their pregnancy. While scientists do not know what causes diabetes, they do know that it is caused from a variety of factors that can vary from person to person. Examples of these factors are heredity, being overweight, and problems with beta cells, which are located in the pancreas.

Diabetes can result in blurred vision, retinopathy, nerve problems, dry skin, and kidney issues. Diet plays a major role in the prevention of these problems. Sugar concentration in the blood is a major factor for diabetics, so understanding the sugar content of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates is essential. The goal from a diet perspective is to control your sugar in your bloodstream in such a way that the insulin in your bloodstream can manage it efficiently. In addition to diet, medication and exercise play a key role in controlling this disease. Currently, there is no known cure for diabetes.

Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes Defined Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic disease where the blood in the body contains a high sugar level. This disease is caused by the body's inability to use insulin properly, or the inability to manufacture insulin altogether. There are times when it can be caused by both factors. "Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, and leg amputations.

In fact, it is the third leading cause of death in the United States". (Magee, 1999 p. 2) The Normal Process When you eat a meal, your body begins the digestion process. The food breaks down and enters the bloodstream in the form of sugars. Once the sugars are circulating in your blood, the cells need to be able to admit the sugar.

A hormone called insulin is the factor that makes this possible. Once the insulin lets the sugar into the cells, it is used to produce energy. The Failure Taking insulin out of the equation, the cells in your body cannot use sugar as they would normally. Consequently, they do not get enough energy. Not only do they not get enough energy, the sugar builds up in the blood because it has nowhere to go.

When the sugar level in the blood rises to high levels and stays there for extended periods of time, the result is diabetes. Insulin Defined. All of the cells in a person's body are enclosed in a membrane. Insulin triggers the membranes to let them know that sugars are available in the blood. Insulin attaches itself to sites, called insulin receptors, like a key fits into a lock.

Once the key is admitted, the cell's membrane unlocks to allow the flow of sugars to enter. It is then burned by the cells to produce energy. (Beaser, 1995) Causal Factors Diabetes is not contagious, which means that you cannot give it to anyone nor can it be caught. "It is believed that the susceptibility to diabetes is passed from generation to generation via genes, but not in any specific pattern.

Heredity plays a stronger role in Type 2 diabetes (non-insulin-dependent) than in Type 1 diabetes (insulin-dependent), but the nature of these genetic factors and how they are inherited are not yet understood". (Milchovich & Dunn-Long, 1999, pg. 2) Affected Body Parts Pancreas The pancreas is an organ that rests below and behind the stomach. An adult pancreas weighs less than half of a pound. Insulin is produced in the pancreas. The pancreas is somewhat shaped like a cone lying on its side. The end of the pancreas tapers off into the shape of a tail.

About 100,000 islets of Langerhans, which are tiny tissues, are found inside of the tail of the pancreas. The islets consist of multiple types of cells. Beta cells are the most important as they actually manufacture the insulin. Not only do they produce the insulin, they also store it until the body has a need for the insulin.

(Beaser, 1995) The pancreas, in addition to producing insulin, manufactures a hormone called glucagon. The function of this hormone is to raise blood sugar. Insulin and glucagon play a balancing act as they help to keep the blood sugars within a normal range. Also produced in the pancreas are enzymes that help to break food down into more simple substances so that they can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Eyes Blurred Vision. Even before diabetes is diagnosed, it can have adverse effects on the eyes.

Fluid can leak into the lens of the eye, which changes vision due to the swelling or distortion. Once you are diagnosed with diabetes and begin treatment, this problem corrects itself in a matter of a few weeks, provided you keep your blood sugar under control. It is also possible to have blurred or distorted vision as a result of blood sugar that fluctuates. Retinopathy.

The breaking and bleeding of very small blood vessels in the retina, called Retinopathy, is the most serious eye problem that can occur as a result of having diabetes. The blood vessels are extremely sensitive and are harmed by high blood sugar. In the initial states, the diabetic does not feel anything, so they are unaware that their retinas are becoming damaged. Nerves Consistent high blood sugar has adverse effects on the nerves in your body.

This painful condition is called neuropathy. It can feel like pins pricking your skin as well as give you the sensation that you are wearing a pair of gloves. It can also result in the loss of feeling in the feet and hands. Oftentimes, the diabetic will become dizzy when going from a lying to sitting or standing position.

Keeping blood sugar under strict control has been proven to be effective in the prevention of delay of this problem. (Milchovich & Dunn-Long, 1999) Kidneys It is important to keep your kidneys as healthy as possible. When kidneys become damaged, they do not repair themselves. The worst kidney disease that you can get is called nephropathy. Nephrons, which are small filters, separate out waste products and other substances from the blood that flows through the kidneys. High blood sugar can permanently damage these small filters, which can cause the kidneys to fail.

(Beaser, 1995) Skin Dry Skin. A diabetic that does not control their blood sugar well can become dehydrated, which means that their body does not have enough fluids in their tissues. Once this occurs, the skin becomes dry. Skin that is dry is not life-threatening, but it can be unsightly.

NLD. Necro biosis lipoid ica diabeticorum, or NLD, is also another harmless skin condition. It occurs most often in women, particularly in their teen years. It is primarily found on the shins and is initially a discoloration that is either pink or red. The skin in these areas eventually tightens and becomes shiny. The primary risk with this condition is the possibility that the skin on the shins can break open.

In rare cases, skin grafts are performed to help these areas heal. Feet Foot problems can be a significant issue for people who have diabetes. "In fact, they spend more days in the hospital with foot complications than with any other problem". (Beaser, 1995. pg. 245) There are many theories as to why this is the case. Being able to see the feet is essential to optimal care. Blurred vision can be an issue when trying to see your feet.

Being overweight is also an issue that can affect your ability to bend over and take care of your feet. Additionally, people with diabetes have a greater chance than average of getting an infection. Types of Diabetes Type I Diabetes With Type I diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Consequently, anyone with Type I diabetes must receive daily insulin injections. The insulin must be injected into the body because if it is taken orally, stomach acids will make the insulin ineffective to the body. The primary targets for this type of diabetes are children and young adults, but it can affect people of any age.

Out of the entire diabetes population, approximately five to ten percent of the diabetics have Type I. The destruction of beta cells causes Type I diabetes. The cause of the beta cells' destruction has yet to be determined, but scientists believe that it is caused by something that has gone wrong with the body's immune system. The immune system normally uses antibodies to attack foreign invaders. They believe that the antibodies destroy the beta cells, resulting in Type I diabetes.

Type II Diabetes Accounting for 90 percent of the diabetic population are people who have Type II diabetes. The problem in this type of diabetes is that the beta cells do not produce enough insulin to meet the needs of the body. In addition to this problem, the cells in the body do not react appropriately to the available insulin in the body because they cannot admit glucose through the cell membranes. Scientists have yet to determine exactly what causes Type II diabetes, but they do know that it is caused by multiple factors.

The factors can vary from person to person. Some of the factors are being overweight, defective beta cells, not enough beta cells, and heredity. Gestational Diabetes When a woman becomes pregnant, provided that she did not have diabetes already, her body cannot metabolize sugar like it normally can when she is not pregnant. This condition normally appears during the third trimester of the pregnancy.

Women who have this problem have to adjust their diet and, sometimes, inject insulin daily. Normally, the woman's blood sugar should return to normal once she delivers the baby. Unfortunately, she is at a higher risk of getting diabetes later on in life as a result of having it during her pregnancy. Susceptible Populations Approximately 18.2 million Americans have diabetes, which is approximately three percent of the population in the United States. Of this 18.2 million, 13 million have officially been diagnosed. The remaining 5.2 million are undiagnosed.

Each year, 1.3 million more cases of diabetes are diagnosed from the population that is greater than twenty years of age. Type II diabetes makes up the 90% or more of all diabetes cases diagnosed. (Medline Plus, 2003) As you age, the probability that you will get diabetes increases. In the population that is above 60 years of age, approximately 18.3 percent have diabetes. Whether you are a male or a female does not really matter, as roughly 8.7 percent of men and 8.7 percent of females who are greater than or equal to age 20 have diabetes. "Diabetes occurs more frequently in some populations, including African Americans, Hispanic/: a tino Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives".

(LifeS can, 2004) Controlling Diabetes Diet The diet plays a tremendous role in the management of diabetes because it is important to keep your blood sugar within a normal range. A person with this disease must understand exactly what they are eating relative to how the foods are broken down in order to fully understand the implications of the diet on his or her body. The pancreas in someone's body that does not have diabetes automatically adjusts according to the various foods that they eat. The person with diabetes who is taking a fixed dosage of insulin has to manually adjust their diet so that their blood sugar will be within a normal range. This is no easy feat and requires a good understanding of food content.

Carbohydrates. More than any other food, carbohydrates affect blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy. Starches and sugars are carbohydrates and they are both broken down into glucose at approximately the same speed. Starches are found in breads, cereals, pasta, lentils, peas, potatoes, peas, and beans. Sugars are found naturally in fruits, vegetables, and milk.

Foods that have added sugars are syrups, candies, jams, and desserts. More important than the sugar either being added to a food, or just contained in the food naturally, is the number of carbohydrate grams you are consuming. Foods, such as candy and jams, that have no nutritional value must be a part of your diet -- not added to your diet, as too many sugars can cause your diabetes to spin out of control. (Beaser, 1995) Carbohydrates raise the blood sugar much more rapidly than fats and proteins. Protein.

The second major nutrient needed by the body is protein. The body uses protein to build body tissue as well as repair body tissue. Proteins consist of foods such as meats, eggs, cheese, peanut butter, and tofu. The best sources of protein are those that are low in fat, such as lean meat and skinless poultry. Proteins contain enzymes. Some enzymes are responsible for breaking down starches into sugars.

Proteins also slow the release of sugars into the bloodstream. Fat. The third major nutrient needed by the body is fat. A lot of material that we read about nutrition can be negative relative to fats, but fats are important to the human body. They are important because they carry fatty acids and vitamins in the body. Fats can be oily or greasy.

It can be either in a solid or a liquid form. It can be found in such things as cheese, margarine, butter, meat, milk, and vegetable oils. All fats are high in calories, which can be a concern if you want to lose weight. Fats, like proteins, slow the release of sugars into the bloodstream. What is important about all three of these nutrients is that each nutrient ultimately plays a role with the interaction of sugars in the body, which affects the level of sugar in your blood.

It is important to understand each type of food that you consume in order to keep your blood sugar level within a reasonable range. Being a diabetic does not mean that you have to give up all of the foods that you enjoy, it means that you have to pay particularly close attention to the meals that you eat. Medication People with Type I diabetes, and some people with Type II diabetes and gestational diabetes need to take insulin injections. The insulin must be injected into the body because, if taken orally, the stomach acids will make the insulin ineffective to the body. It is important to time the injection of the insulin relative to eating and exercise.

There are multiple kinds of insulin. Each one has a different time that it is active -- some are fast, intermediate, and then some are slow to act. In addition to insulin injections, some diabetics take pills that encourage the production of natural insulin in their bodies. The goal is to ensure that insulin is present in the blood when glucose peaks in the bloodstream. Exercise Regular exercise is of particular importance for diabetics.

It ultimately helps you to keep your blood sugars within a normal range. By exercising, the cells in the body help to make insulin more effective because it makes the body's cells more sensitive to insulin. Consequently, individuals who have to inject insulin daily will have to inject less insulin if their bodies are using it more efficiently. Weight can be an issue to diabetics because it can make your body become resistant to insulin. Exercise helps to keep your weight down because calories are burned when you exercise. If you consume fewer calories than you are burning, you will lose weight.

No Cure Although scientists are coming closer to finding a cure for diabetes, currently there is no cure. There are, however, many things that a diabetic can do to keep the disease under control as much as possible. Eating the right foods to ensure that the proper amount of glucose is in the bloodstream is very important. In combination with this, exercising to make the body more susceptible to the insulin is beneficial. Lastly, and equally as important, is to ensure that you are receiving the proper medications, whether you are taking pills or are injecting insulin.

Conclusion Diabetes is certainly a diagnosis that nobody ever wants to receive. There is no cure, but it can be managed through diet, medication and exercise. Having blood sugar that is out of control can result in irreparable damage to the body, particularly with the kidneys. Educating yourself on how to best manage the disease is important to avoiding or prolonging adverse effects on the body.

Bibliography

Diabetes Care, 2004.
Who Has Diabetes? Retrieved from web on August 19, 2004.
Sue K. Milchovich & Barbara Dunn-Long. (1999) Diabetes Mellitus - A Practical Handbook.
Palo Alto: Bull Publishing Company. Carolyn Leon tos. (2000) What to Eat When You Get Diabetes.
New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Richard S. Beaser. (1995) The Joslin Guide to Diabetes - Program for Managing Your Treatment.
New York: Simon & Schuster. Elaine Magee. (1999) Tell me What to Eat if I have Diabetes.