Diabetes Among the US Population - Essay Example

'Diabetes Among the US Population' is a good example of a paper on metabolic problems. 
It is clearly evident from the statistics that diabetes is on a rise in the US population. The disease impacts human health significantly as it leads to stroke, kidney disease, amputations, heart attacks, hypertension, and several other complications. Diabetes is one of the most leading causes of death in the US.

A sedentary lifestyle and eating habits are considered principal causes of diabetes type II.  Diabetes can be controlled through several measures such as exercise, reducing sugar intake and carbohydrates drastically. Active physical life increases metabolism and that in turn, helps control diabetes.

Four different body systems that are affected by diabetes are the nervous system, eyes, kidneys, heart.

Nervous System: Diabetes is a disease of high sugar in the blood. Too much glucose in the blood is likely to damage nerves in the body. Numbness, pain or tingling experienced in the limbs for a prolonged time are the symptoms of developing nervous system disease. At times, sensation in legs and feet is reduced considerably with no healing on that part. In the worst condition, it may lead to amputation.

Eyes: Diabetes also damages blood vessels in the eyes. Due to that retinas fail to get proper blood supply and starve for nutrition. Glaucoma and other structural changes to the retina are possible. This may lead to blindness.

Kidneys:  The higher the blood sugar in the body means the higher the workload on kidneys. Over time, this may lead to chronic kidney disease resulting in complete failure.

Heart: Since blood vessels are damaged they become narrow causing heart ailments and then stroke.

It is quite clear that damaged blood vessels lead to the failure of several organs as discussed above. This means that a comprehensive healthcare plan is necessary that controls blood sugar in the body.

The website of the CDC discusses several strategies to combat obesity.  Knowing body mass index (BMI) is a good way of knowing whether one is obese or not. BMI is given as body weight in kilograms divided by square of height in meters. BMI is interpreted differently for children and adults.

The following graphics explain how a person can be judged obese, overweight or healthy based on his or her age.

It is necessary to maintain certain physical activity levels such as brisk walking to the tune of at least 150 minutes every week. Similarly, muscle-strengthening activities for back, abdomen, chest shoulders, arms, hips, legs are a must. Teenagers must remain physically active for at least an hour in a day - almost every day in a year. This increases caloric output from the body. Restricting caloric intake is equally important that does not exceed caloric output. Similarly, a balanced diet of protein, carbohydrate, fat also helps in keeping body healthy and metabolism in full gear.

This resource contains diabetes basics, how to live with diabetes, food and fitness, advocacy, and much more. The resource also describes some of the recipes that can help control diabetes. It also prescribes some of the preventive tools to keep diabetes away. According to their Mission Statement, the aim is "To prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes". It also helps explore how someone is prone to diabetes. All in all, the resource also provides important information to treat hypoglycemia (low sugar).

The site is extremely useful for the health information given on illnesses such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, asthma, and many more. It also provides statistical information on illnesses pertaining to diabetes, kidney, obesity, eye, mental health, drug abuse, digestive diseases, and many more. The National Institute of Health (NIH) is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is also a research organization and enrolls patients for clinical trials. It also provides research training opportunities. The information is certainly useful for healthcare workers and the public.