Factors Caused Diabetes And Its Symptoms - Research Paper Example

Factors Caused Diabetes And Its Symptoms The preponderance of diabetes is truly staggering. It is no exaggeration to say that every American knows at least one person, whether consciously or not, with diabetes. Almost eight percent of the population, an estimated 23.6 million people in the United States has some form of the disease. Diabetes, being a lifelong and life threatening disorder, poses a significant risk to the well-being of all people, whether they have the disease or not. The costs of diabetes, both monetarily and in terms of health, weigh heavily on any society (NDIC). Diabetes is the third leading cause of death in the United States, and separates loved ones by affecting relatively young individuals. In terms of its economic impact, in 1997 the United States spent 98 billion dollars providing health services to patients with diabetes suffering from blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage, all characteristic symptoms of the disease. This 98 billion dollars amounts to $10,071 per capita, compared to the per capita cost of $2,699 on individuals without diabetes. In that same year, nearly 14 million days of hospital stay were caused by diabetes and over thirty million physician office visits were related in some way to diabetes (Mathur). In 2007 alone, nearly 1.6 million people were diagnosed with the disease, and, given the prevailing trends, that rate is probably going to increase through the future. Rates are increasing due to several factors such as an aging population, a growing population of more susceptible populations (like Hispanics), and a general increase in sedentary and overweight lifestyles among Americans. People can develop diabetes at any age, but are more susceptible at an elevated age. The most susceptible are arguably those who are older or live sedentary lifestyles and are overweight. Diabetes poses a significant threat to these individuals and the rise of such lifestyles in the modern world parallels the rising prevalence of diabetes in populations (HSPH). Diabetes accompanies obesity because of insulin resistance, which is related directly to weight. Insulin resistance makes eating more to acquire the same amount of energy necessary. In their book, “Obesity and Diabetes”, Anthony H. Barnett and Sudhesh Kumar compile experts’ opinions on the relationship between obesity/sedentary lifestyles with the disease. The book begins with a very general introduction to the topic of obesity in general, and then works in the topic of diabetes by relating it to the massive epidemic. In the first chapter, the prevalence of obesity in developed nations is correlated with the increasing number of type-2 diabetes patients. In particular, this prevalence is growing higher in children. The accelerating rates of diagnoses related to diabetes symptoms indicate a more general problem related to lifestyle changes throughout the world. The mass production of goods and services that, when consumed in excess, lead to serious health problems is largely to blame. However, genetic and environmental factors combined also contribute, in addition to personal choices. Ultimately, it lies on the part of individuals to change habits for the better and increase one’s likelihood of averting health problems that result from bad choices. In subsequent chapters, experts discuss the effects of our biology and environment in creating obesity, and then how our personal choices determine whether we will become obese (with factors such as physical activity, energy intake, and energy balance). It is only until we get to chapter five that we hear very little on the topic of diabetes, stressing the interconnectedness of obesity with diabetes. In that chapter, the authors discuss how type-2 diabetes can be prevented, even by non-pharmacological intervention. The reduction in the risk of developing the disease is also blind to the particular at-risk demographic the individual belongs to. Lifestyle interventions work perhaps most effectively in combating the onset of diabetes, probably because lifestyle interventions work best for combating the onset of obesity and weight gain as well. The authors note that the problem is ineffective interventions that largely focus on adults, when “unfavorable lifestyle patterns are no longer an issue only among adults but also in children and adolescents” (Tuomilehto, Lindstrom and Silventoinen 80). Interventions are likely to have a greater effect when aimed at curbing unhealthy lifestyle choices in young people rather than older individuals. Not only is the identification of high-risk individuals relatively easy, but the evidence to begin interventions as a preventative measures is conclusive and strong. In the subsequent chapter, Catherine Rolland and Iain Broom come to some practical conclusions for implementing such interventions. While there is no strong evidence for the absolute effectiveness of diet-modifying interference in curbing the onset of type-2 diabetes, such modifications remain the best solution for possibly controlling long-term outcomes. The best means of preventing diabetes is in identifying patient-specific dietary therapies, for the one-size-fits-all approach to applying such dietary therapies is not the ideal approach. Regardless, the risk for diabetes can be reduced by lowering carbohydrate intake and increasing healthier alternatives to typical food choices. Despite the anecdotal success of these tips, the authors conclude that further research is necessary to find strong support and methods of long-term sustained weight loss, in addition to drug-based interventions. As another contributor, John P. H. Wilding, notes, perhaps the drug-based therapy option is underplayed. Acknowledging the connection between obesity and type-2 diabetes, he suggests that reducing weight can be an effective treatment for that species of the disease. Recent successes in treating weight gain with drugs can be applied to a treatment of diabetes as well; however, it seems unlikely given the widespread demand for weight-reducing drugs that drug-based treatment will ever become the only kind of intervention necessary. While Wilding treats drug treatment as necessary to treating diabetes, it is certainly not sufficient. Diabetes patients typically undergo multiple drug treatments at a time, which is significant in that many of these drugs may work and many of them may not. In a work entitled Exercise and Diabetes, experts like Judith Regensteiner and Jane E. B Reusch account for the link between the disease and exercise. Although the connection between obesity and type-2 diabetes is an important topic, one must understand the relationship between exercise and diabetes as well. Exercise is, of course, related to obesity in many ways. However, it also has physiological effects in type-2 diabetes that warrant special consideration apart from the fact that it, as part of an improved lifestyle, can decrease one’s risk for developing the disease. Documented studies indicate the effect of exercise (and diet) to prevent the actual biochemical causes of type-2 diabetes, such as impaired glucose tolerance. The literature also suggests that individuals with diabetes are far less likely to spend time exercising than those without. Although this may seem undesirable at first (insofar as we want diabetes patients to lose weight by progressing out of a sedentary lifestyle), it may be the case that diabetes itself causes defects in the possible gains one can make from engaging in strenuous exercise. Accordingly, “These defects in turn may make exercise more difficult and uncomfortable and thus encourage sedentary behavior in the very population that would most benefit from exercise” (Schauer, Bauer and Watson 101). Through better research, we can find the mechanisms responsible; nevertheless, the culprit most likely lies within the cardiovascular system, in which the delivery of oxygen is impaired. This theory about the difficulty of diabetes patients’ exercise treatments leads into a further discussion about the cardiovascular effects of type-2 diabetes. In a subsequent chapter, Sherita Hill Golden looks at these effects in greater detail. She notes immediately that a vast majority of deaths in patients with type-2 diabetes come about because of atherosclerosis, a condition in which unwanted materials are deposited on the walls of the arteries, which narrows the vessels. In many cases, risk factors for cardiovascular diseases precede the onset of diabetes symptoms and account for a large proportion of cardiovascular problems that many diabetes patients suffer. Golden concludes from looking at the literature that the most effective means of preventing forms of cardiovascular disease in diabetes patients is through controlling lipid levels and blood pressure. According to the author, cardiovascular risks must be treated insistently with therapies that lower blood pressure, correct dyslipidemia, and support stopping smoking, physical activity, and aspirin use. Taken in conjunction, these methods are the surest means of preventing the magnified effects of cardiovascular problems in individuals already suffering with diabetes symptoms. Such therapies are known, in addition to combating cardiovascular problems, to stop systemic inflammation and arterial decay that contribute heavily to such problems especially common in diabetes. The recent literature reveals more about the connection between exercise and diabetes, namely in how exercise relates to fat distribution and adiposity. In particular, recent evidence shows the harm of having abdominal obesity to one’s health. In addition to reducing general weight levels in an individual, physical exercise can reduce abdominal obesity and thus bring about largely unanticipated health benefits. Thus, although exercise and weight reduction are widely recognized as the best means of reducing one’s risk for diabetes and treating the actual disease, the benefits of effective exercise may very well go beyond established benefits. According to author Kerry J. Stewart, the best exercise that a diabetic can participate in (that is, to maximize results on body composition) is both aerobic and resistance exercise. The benefits of such exercise extend to the overall and specific reductions in fat levels and the increase in lean mass. The author emphasizes the possibility of favorable changes in body composition happening independent of weight change. The impact of diabetes is notorious, both in terms of the lives it takes and the costs it imposes on society as a whole. Although the causes of diabetes are relatively well-known, treating them remains an interesting challenge for physicians and dieticians. Ultimately, the disease is closely linked with the obesity epidemic which is sweeping through developed nations; insulin-tolerance is becoming a widespread effect of harmful lifestyle choices. Exercise, as studies have shown, becomes increasingly difficult for diabetes patients, and the process of reducing the severity of the disease becomes equally difficult. The fate of diabetes in a population is intimately connected with the fate of obesity, and reducing one probably means reducing the other in the process. The best means of going about doing this, however, remains a matter for debate. Works Cited HSPH. Type 2 Diabetes. 2008. 2009 . Mathur, Ruchi. Diabetes Mellitus. April 2009 . NDIC. Diabetes Overview. November 2008. April 2009 . Schauer, Irene, et al. "Exercise Performance and Effects of Exercise Training in Diabetes." Regensteiner, Judith, et al. Diabetes and Exercise. New York: Humana Press, 2009. 85-108. Tuomilehto, Jaakko, Jaana Lindstrom and Karri Silventoinen. "Obesity and prevention of type 2 diabetes." Barnett, Anthony H. and Sudhesh Kumar. Obesity and Diabetes. New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. 67-86. Read More