Diabetes can be Prevented! Adriana Delgadillo, MPH (c) Health Educator University of California, San Francisco Copyright © 2009 The Regents of the University of California, all rights reserved See http://iha.ucsf.edu:16080/LiveWellBeWell/ for complete citation

Today we are going to talk about: What is diabetes? How does blood sugar work? What is type 2 diabetes? What are the symptoms? How diabetes affects the body? Who is at risk of getting diabetes? What is pre-diabetes? How can I prevent diabetes?

How many people have diabetes? 20.8 million people in the U.S. have diabetes 1/3 or the people who have diabetes don’t know it = 1 million people

What is diabetes? Diabetes means that your blood sugar (glucose) is too high Your blood always has some sugar in it because the body needs sugar for energy But too much sugar in the blood can cause damage to your health Diabetes can be controlled but not cured

How does sugar work in your body? Stomach Glucose Step 1: The food you eat turns into sugar in your stomach. Step 2: Your blood carries the sugar to your body cells.

Step 3: The pancreas is in charge of releasing insulin. Insulin helps sugar enter body cells. If your body doesn’t make enough insulin or the insulin doesn’t work the way it should, the sugar can’t go into the cells making your blood sugar go up.

Type 2 Diabetes The pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin The insulin doesn’t work the way it should 90% of diabetes cases are type 2

What are the symptoms? Always tired Frequent urination Always thirsty Always hungry Blurred vision Tingling hands or feet Wounds that don’t heal Sudden weight loss

Diabetes can damage… Your heart Your eyes High blood sugar levels over time can affect blood flow This can cause heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure High blood sugar levels can damage the small blood vessels in the back of the eye This can cause blurred vision and loss of vision

Diabetes can damage… Blood vessels within the kidney are affected Your kidneys Your nervous system Blood vessels within the kidney are affected Over time, high blood sugar can damage nerves in the body Loss of sensation, pain and burning sensation in feet

Who is at risk for type 2 diabetes? People who: Are older than 45 Have a family member with diabetes Are Latino, African-American, Native-American o Asian-American Had diabetes during pregnancy Are overweight Have high cholesterol Have high blood pressure

How do I know if I have diabetes? By doing a fasting blood test It can only be diagnosed by a doctor

What is pre-diabetes? Blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diabetes Occurs before people develop type 2 diabetes At this stage, you can delay or prevent diabetes

You can prevent diabetes! Eating less fat Eating more vegetables & fruits Eating more fiber

You can prevent diabetes! Regular physical activity Helps your body to use insulin better Helps maintain weight loss Walking 30 minutes, 5 days a week, has been shown to reduce the risk of getting diabetes

Take action today… If you haven’t eaten in 8 hrs, take a finger prick test This will tell you if you are at risk of getting diabetes If you are at risk, you may be able to join the Live Well, Be Well project

To conclude… Diabetes is a serious disease that can cause serious health problems It can be prevented Healthy eating and exercise can make the difference Get tested today. Do it for you and your loved ones

For more information about diabetes… American Diabetes Association 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 8 PM (Eastern Standard Time) www.diabetes.org

Thank you!