Blake Schunk
Martin
PHED 2120
29 April 2014
Diabetes
My family has had a history with diabetes and it is a disease that I am aware
of, and I know a little bit about it, but I am highly interested in more details about
this disease specifying exactly what it is and how it effects people who are
diagnosed. So, I started my research with a general diabetes article, explaining what
the disease actually is. There are two main types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2,
Type 1 diabetes covers anyone who has the disease that received it from unlucky
genetics, or the cause is unknown, whereas Type 2 diabetes covers the people who
simply put this disease on themselves by not following a healthy life style. Eugene
Barrett goes into more detail about the two different types of diabetes in her article
titled “Diabetes.” She explains, ”Type 1 diabetes, also called insulin-dependent
diabetes, results from the destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, an
organ in the abdomen. The insulin-producing cells, called beta cells, are the only
cells in the body that can produce insulin. When they are destroyed, the resulting
deficiency of insulin causes the level of glucose in the bloodstream to rise. Physicians
consider Type 1 diabetes an autoimmune disease, because the beta cells are
destroyed by the body’s own immune system. It typically strikes before the age of 20
and is often called juvenile diabetes. People with Type 1 diabetes require insulin
injections several times a day to maintain near normal blood glucose levels and
prevent the effects of hyperglycemia. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of
the disease. It occurs most often in middle-aged and older individuals. Type 2
diabetes is caused by the combined effects of reduced production of insulin by the
beta cells and a decrease in the body’s ability to use insulin, a condition called
insulin resistance. Scientists do not fully understand how Type 2 diabetes develops,
but they have identified several factors that increase a person’s risk for developing
the disease. Obesity (excess body weight) and a lack of exercise are among the most
important risk factors. Lifestyles that include eating larger portions of high-calorie
food combined with less physical activity are now common in much of the
industrialized world. As a result, the incidence of Type 2 diabetes has increased
dramatically. Some people and ethnic groups have a genetic tendency to develop
