Diabetes Facts

Here are some important diabetes facts, according to the Juveniles Diabetes Research Foundation:

Diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas causing it to stop producing the vital chemcial insulin.

Fact 1 - More than 3 million Americans have the disease.

Fact 2 - It accounts for about 10 percent of total diabetes cases.

Fact 3 - Researchers are unclear what causes the disease.

Fact 4 - Some signs of type 1 diabetes include: extreme thirst and increased appetite; frequent urination, lethargy, sudden vision changes, sudden weight loss and fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on breath.

Fact 5 - Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong sickness that is typically diagnosed in children, teens or young adults.

Fact 6 - Dissimilar from type 2 diabetes, it can never be handled solely through diet and exercise, although a good diet can aid to maintain blood glucose levels more stable.

Fact 7 - There are 30,000 new diagnoses every year, and approximately 30 to 40 percent are adults.

Fact 8 - Complications can include heart disease, kidney failure, stroke, blindness or even amputation.

Fact 9 - Diabetes can be got rid of with a vegan diet. Dr. Terry Shintani’s results show that a vegan diet can get people off diabetes and cholesterol-lowering medication. Veganism is a type of vegetarian diet that omits eggs, meat, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients. Many vegans also do not consume foods that are served using animal products, such as refined white sugar and some wines.

Fact 10 - Eliminating starches from your diet Is not the answer. The American Diabetes Association, ADA, publishes: “Foods that carry carbohydrate raise blood glucose. By observing track of how many carbohydrates you have eaten and fixing a limit for your maximum amount to eat, can help to keep blood glucose levels in the targeted range.” Not all starches are created equal. Some create speedy spikes in blood sugar. According to current theory, implies an extra load on the pancreas, which produces insulin, leading to reduced performance or failure. It also drives the body to become less effective with the way it manages blood sugar. What is crucial is the rate at which these foods have on the blood level alterations.

Fact 11: Asians and Polynesians have the lowest incidence of diabetes in the world. Based on the 2010 statistics from the IDF, International Diabetes Federation, the US, Canada and Carribean region has an 11.7% prevalence of diabetes. Most of Asia - including Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, China and the Pacific, like Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, etc. have only a 5% incidence, the second lowest in the world. Africa has the lowest. Simply speaking, nobody knows why is this so! But what we do know is that people who eat their culturally traditional diets have very low incidence of diabetes. Yet when they move to the U.S., their diet changes, and their incidence of diabetes skyrockets.