The Risk Factors for Diabetes - Research Paper Example

Admission; Diabetes Diabetes is a metabolic disease that compels the body to a condition of inability to produce sufficient insulin leading an elevation of glucose levels in blood. The condition causes frequent urination, elevated thirst and hunger as symptoms. Three main types of the disease include Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, and gestational diabetes affects pregnant women. According the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), diabetes statistics stands at 285 million victims in the year 2009. The figure is high above the 30 million victims registered in the year 1985. The deficit indicates an increase of 250 million people in a span of 24 years (McClaughlyn 1). The data shows a consistent increase in diabetes because of physical activities, high rate of stress and an elevated rate of obesity. Lack of insulin resulting from destruction of insulting secreting beta cells in the pancreas causes diabetes. An individual’s white blood cells attacks and destroys the beta cells rendering it unproductive in the protection against bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. The condition frequently attacks children and young adults. Heredity plays a fundamental role in determining the manifestation of the disease. The parents pass the instructional genes making proteins essential body cell functions to their children. The genes determine the body’s susceptibility to and defense against type 1 diabetes. The corrective mechanism for this condition involves daily injections of insulin to make the victim survive. Lack of physical activities poses an influence in the rate of diabetes manifestation. Without sufficient involvement in physical activities, one develops conditions of overweight and obesity, which ultimately leads to the acquisition of Type 2 Diabetes. Overweight and obesity result from an imbalance occurring between caloric intake and burn out physical activities. The conditions cause insulin resistance that yields Type 2 Obesity (Alberti,et al.56). When a person has excess abdominal fats, he or she is at a major risk for insulin resistance and remains vulnerable to attack by other illnesses including heart diseases and blood pressure. High rate of stress enhances the prevalence of diabetes. Stress induces mental stress leading to the general unhappiness of the victims. The unhappiness and unstable mental condition lowers the productivity of individuals influencing the state’s economy negatively. Elevated levels of stress and mental upset indirectly affect an individual’s blood sugar levels making the affected to forget the usual diabetes care routine. The condition is dangerous as it may lead to further complications of the condition. Individuals should, therefore, avoid all conditions or circumstances that may compel them to stress to avoid diabetes. Family history of gestational diabetes leads to the gestational type diabetes. The environmental set up where individuals live increases their risk of contracting this type of diabetes. Obesity and overweight also lead to the development of gestational diabetes (Haffner,et al.61). Obesity causes mental and physical stresses, which increase the prevalence of diabetes. Diabetes leads to death if unchecked and uncontrolled. It is a leading cause of deaths in America and the globe. It causes stress and high blood pressure causing heart strains. Stress renders the affected unhappy, a condition that poses adverse impacts on health. Distorted mental conditions lower an individual’s per capita income and productivity. Diabetes leads to the development of other illnesses like the heart infections that increases individual’s death risks. Diabetes affects the skin. A condition of scarcity or lack of moisture causes the skin on the affected to crack or dry imparting pain. Cultural differences dictated by differences in foods consumed affect the diabetes prevalence rates. For instance, Asia has lower cases of diabetes prevalence than America because of their regular inclusion of vegetables in the meals. Persistent diseases like diabetes are the leading causes of premature deaths and reduced quality of life in developed countries like America. Diabetes regards as an epidemic across the globe hence countries must strive to get the preventive measures to curb the condition and protect its citizens (Colagiuri, et al. 41). To prevent the prevalence of diabetes in States, individuals should engage in many physical activities to get rid of excess fats that increase vulnerability. The American government should enact strict policies making physical activities compulsory in school curriculums. People who actively participate in the physical activities have a lower rate of vulnerability to diabetes. According to Gomez et al., countries with strict policies regulating schools to practice proper amount of physical activities have lower prevalence rate than those that do not (Gomez, et al. 32). An example of such countries is Korea registering a lower diabetes rate than America. Therefore, the American government should enact policies to increase the rate of physical activities in schools to diminish the rates of obesity and diabetes in the country. American government should control the sugar market to limit the possibility of increased risks of diabetes. Finally, the American government should improvise cartoon models to help in teaching their children about obesity, its causes and prevention techniques. The information will help children live cautiously without diabetes risks. The major risk factor for diabetes in the current world is stress. We are surrounded by stress; from the work place, family issues, economic issues, security of our investments and peer pressure. More often than not, people will try to fit into a given social class that they want to identify themselves with. This comes with certain added costs which they may not be able to afford. They end up working a lot and this is the point where stress comes in. The world has become such a competitive place with everyone struggling to be at the top. People are always very busy with no time to unwind and relax. There are people who work for as long as 18 ours on a daily basis. Some study throughout, doing one degree after another, with very little time for family and exercise. In fact the risk factors for diabetes work in a continuum; one factor leading to another (Gomet, et al. 41). Stress ignites a chain of negative and bad habits like smoking and alcohol drinking, which further increase the risks of developing stress. Stress management should therefore be learned and practiced effectively to prevent diabetes acquisition. In case one has already contracted diabetes, stress management skills will help them effectively manage their condition. There are various ways to tame stress. These include; 1. Keeping a positive attitude. Most of the time it is easier to see the negative side of the story rather than the positive side. To curb this situation, it is better to find something to appreciate like health, friends, family and work. By so doing, one can easily get through a hard situation. 2. Being kind to yourself. The question you need to ask yourself is; am I expecting a lot from myself? Sometimes it pays to say no to some things that we do not need for greater good of our health. 3. Accepting your situation and appreciating that you cannot change it. You can do this by asking yourself these three questions; Can I really change my situation? Can I control these circumstances? Two years from now, will any of these be important to me? 4. Find someone to talk to. Find a close friend or a trusted family member in whom you can confide and talk to them about your situation. Seeking professional help can also be beneficial. First seek the recommendations of your doctor if you feel you need to see a counselor or a psychologist. 5. The power of exercise can be effectively tapped as an effective way to manage stress. 6. Find time to unwind through meditation, deep breathing, relaxation and visualization. Find out about programs that offer such services and join. Obesity and diabetes have a very strong correlation. The Center for Disease Control says that diabetes is an epidemic people are eating themselves into (Alberti et al, 23). “Diabetes and obesity are the biggest public health challenge of the 21st century,” this is according to the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF). By the year 1999, diabetes affected only six percent of Americans. From then up to date, there has been a forty percent increase in the number of those affected. The current supporting statistics include; The rate of obesity sky rose from 12 percent to around 20. In the year 2014, obesity and diabetes rates increased by 57 and 6 percent respectively. Approximately every three seconds, a diabetes diagnosis is made. As at 2000, every one in three children born will develop diabetes eventually. In as much as obesity and diabetes risk factors are mostly associated with age, family history and race, it is increasingly becoming clearer that the conveniences associated with modern lifestyles also contribute to the acquisition of both diseases. Such conveniences include; reduced physical activity (sedentary lifestyles), high energy and fat diets and convenient junk foods. Eighty to ninety percent of those diagnosed with diabetes, are also diagnosed to be obese. This suggests that there is a very strong correlation between diabetes and obesity. Being overweight or obese results in extra stress being placed on the body through several mechanisms, proper maintenance normal blood sugars, included (Haffner,et al. 34). As a matter of fact, too much weight can cause the body to be resistant to endogenous amounts of insulin produced. This implies that incase one already has diabetes, more insulin for more glucose to be absorbed into the cells. For those not already affected, this condition can cause them to get diabetes in the long run. Insulin taken by diabetics has been shown to result in weight gain in the long run if the diet of the subject is not modified. In an attempt to lower the blood sugar levels, more and more glucose will be absorbed into the cells, instead of being eliminated from the body (Toumilehto, et al.54). The glucose absorbed into the cells is converted into fat for storage, resulting in weight gain. This is one of the ways in which insulin therapy for diabetics can result in weight gain. Because of this, once diagnosed with diabetes one needs to modify their diets accordingly. This is because weight gain will worsen the diabetic condition. Insulin-induced weight gain will expose the subject to a wide array of diabetes-related complications. Once one is introduced into insulin therapy, they don’t really need much food since the body will be economical in utilizing the food taken, rather than wasting it. It should therefore be understood that not as much as one is accustomed to is needed. Therefore to avoid insulin-associated weight gain, diet modification will be necessary. Regular monitoring of the blood sugar should be undertaken to ensure that it remains within the normal ranges. To prevent diabetes, prevent obesity. This principle, if followed well, will help in reducing the diabetic cases associated with the modern sedentary lifestyles. Maintenance of a healthy body weight entails an increment in the physical activities through regular exercise. Small divided weight loss over a long period of time will eventually prevent diabetes. This is according to the obesity society (Alberti, et al. 67). For those already affected the small weight losses will reduce the amount of medication needed, prevent the common complications like; stroke, heart attacks and blindness. Diet modification can also aid in weight loss. High fibre, low sugar diet accompanied by half an hour of moderate to high activity every single day will reduce the risks of developing complications. Diabetes, as a global epidemic, has both devastating social and personal effects, more than most people can comprehend. The highest costs are not the billions spent on the complications, which could be prevented by healthy living, but the suffering and devastation imposed on the families (Haffner et al.72). As a matter of speaking, diabetes affects and harms the society as a whole. In the year 2007, diabetes caused 3.8 million deaths worldwide, roughly six percent of world’s total mortality. This figure was equivalent to the mortality caused by HIV/AIDS and Malaria combined. This translates into 25 million years’ worth of life lost every year, according to World Health Organization (WHO) formula of life lost per individual dying of diabetes. There is an additional 23 million years lost every single year to reduced quality of life and disabilities. As a conclusion, the risk factors for diabetes work in a continuum, one factor leads to another. Given the stressful nature of the current world, one is always very busy trying to be at the top of the food chain. Too much time is spent working resulting in stress and physical inactivity. Physical inactivity results in obesity. Obesity being one of the major risk factors for diabetes, eventually causes diabetes. The money and resources we were struggling to acquire end up being used for managing the diabetes. Therefore, we do not have to struggle too much (Gomez, et al. 81). Works Cited Colagiuri, Ruth, et al. "The Answer to Diabetes Prevention: Science, Surgery, Service Delivery, Or Social Policy?" American Journal of Public Health 96.9 (2006): 1562-9. Gomez, Scarlett L., et al. "Immigration and Acculturation in Relation to Health and Health-Related Risk Factors among Specific Asian Subgroups in a Health Maintenance Organization." American Journal of public Health 94.11 (2004): 1977-84. McClaughlyn Kerrita. Latest Diabetes Figures Paint Grim Global Picture. International Diabetes Federation. Oct 18, 2009. Web. Mar 11, 2015. Alberti, K. G., and P. Z. Zimmet. "Definition, Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus and Its Complications. Part 1: Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus. Provisional Report of a WHO Consultation." Diabetic Medicine (1998): n. pag. Print. Haffner, Steven M., Seppo Lehto, Tapani Rönnemaa, Kalevi Pyörälä, and Markku Laakso. "Mortality from Coronary Heart Disease in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes and in Nondiabetic Subjects with and Without Prior Myocardial Infarction." New England Journal of Medicine (1998): n. pag. Print. Tuomilehto, J., J. Lindstrom, J. G. Eriksson, T. T. Valle, H. Hamalainen, and P. I. Parikka. "Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus by Changes in Lifestyle Among Subjects with Impaired Glucose Tolerance." (2001): Print Read More