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What is Diabetes and What to Do About It
By Dr. Lois Englberger
There is growing concern in Pohnpei about diabetes, with present estimates that 17% of adult men and 20% of adult women are suffering from this disease (Pohnpei STEPS Survey 2002). However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have projected that over half of adult Pohnpeians will be suffering from diabetes in the next quarter century if nothing is done to halt the present trends.
Two important questions to address are: 1) what is diabetes? 2) what can we do to avoid or control it?
What is diabetes?
A simple explanation is that everyone has some sugar in their blood and that healthy people have blood sugar levels that stay almost the same at all times. However, with diabetes there is too much sugar in the blood.
Too much sugar in the blood can cause damage to the body. If blood sugar levels are high over a long period, different parts of the body can seriously be damaged. For example, damage can be caused to these parts of the body:
- Eyes (leading to poor eyesight and even blindness)
- Kidneys (leading to possible kidney failure)
- Blood vessels of the heart (which increases the risk of heart attack)
- Blood vessels and nerves in the brain (which increases the risk of stroke)
- Blood vessels and nerves in the legs and feet (which increases the risk of ulcers and amputations, for example where a leg or foot is cut off in surgery)
- For men, blood vessels and nerves in the penis (which may cause impotence)
- Gum and teeth and other problems
- Other rare infections
A person contracts diabetes when the insulin in the body does not work properly or when the body does not produce enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone, a substance produced in the pancreas, enabling the body to use sugar properly. When a person's blood sugar level goes up, the body should produce enough insulin to help bring the blood sugar down to normal levels.
How to avoid or control diabetes
One thing to remember is that DIABETES CANNOT BE CURED and it is best to take measures to avoid it. However, you can control it (and help avoid it), preventing almost all the side effects and complications of diabetes and stay healthy, by doing the following:
- Eat a healthy diet (eat more local fiber-rich foods as taro, breadfruit, banana, yam and other starchy staples, fresh fruits and vegetables; eat less fatty, sugary, salty food)
- Keep a healthy weight and avoid overweight (for mothers be sure to breastfeed for at least 2 years and beyond and not overeat during the breastfeeding period)
- Have regular physical activity (work on the land, grow food, fish, keep walking!)
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle (avoid or minimize alcohol, betel nut)
- Do not smoke
ONLY YOU can control your sugar level by your diet, exercises, and proper medications.
We thank the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Lifestyle Health Section for their information and useful Manual titled "Diabetes is Everybody's Business" and comments by Dr. John Hedson of the Pohnpei Department of Health.
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