Diabetes and Cancer

Diabetes

            In a previous post I mentioned that my family history of Type 1 diabetes was a major motivator for me to get healthy. Many people think that because their grandmother had diabetes and their mother also had diabetes that eventually they will also end up with diabetes. But this is not necessarily true. Healthy eating and maintaining a healthy body weight can prevent you from a life time of finger sticks and injecting yourself with insulin. Diabetes is the number one diagnosed chronic disease in the United States, and is steadily on the rise especially in children and young adults. Living with diabetes is a major obstacle for many people as it restricts a person’s diet as well as their lifestyle because of having to follow a strict medication regimen. Having diabetes also predisposes a person to other major health complications such as kidney disease, eye problems such as glaucoma and cataracts, heart disease such as stroke and heart attack, and problems with their nerves such as diabetes neuropathy which causes pain and tingling in the extremities and sometimes dizziness. If there was something you could do to avoid going through all of this, wouldn’t you want to take action to prevent diabetes? Well, there is a lot a person can do to avoid having early onset diabetes and eating healthy is the key.
         The term diabetes mellitus refers to a group of diseases that affects how the body uses blood glucose. Glucose is the main source of energy for the body’s cells, and it fuels your brain. Having diabetes mean that a person has too much glucose in the blood, more than the body can use. You obtain glucose from two sources; the food you eat provides glucose, but your liver also produces glucose. The glucose is mostly absorbed in your bloodstream and is used by the cells, but insulin from the pancreas must be present to help move the glucose into the cells. When too much glucose is in the bloodstream the pancreas is not able to make enough insulin and this causes high blood glucose levels. Also everyone’s pancreas can only make so much insulin over a lifetime and this is where diabetes begins. Constant unhealthy eating, leads to constantly high levels of glucose in the blood, as the pancreas works hard to manufacture and secrete enough insulin to move the glucose into the cells, the pancreas cells eventually begin to die because of over use and the pancreas can no longer secrete any insulin at all or either it can secrete only a very little bit of insulin.

            There are two types of chronic diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association “Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and happens when the body does not produce enough insulin, and in Type 2 diabetes either the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the body’s cells ignore the insulin”. Type 1 diabetes is genetically linked, but only 5% of diagnosed diabetics have this type of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and is all the preventable form of diabetes. Preventing or delaying Type 2 diabetes involves eating healthy, exercising, and maintain a healthy body weight.

            Healthy eating to prevent diabetes involves eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and limiting your intake of unhealthy carbohydrates such as cookies, cakes, and candies. Also you should avoid consuming large of amount of sugary sodas to both prevent diabetes and kidney problems. Exercising to avoid diabetes can be simply taking a walk daily to help your body’s cell use the excess glucose in your blood stream. Maintaining a healthy body weight goes hand in hand with healthy eating and exercising.

Cancer

            There are many proven causes of cancer such as smoking, environmental hazards, and infections. But it is not widely known that poor dietary habits can also cause certain types of cancer. Poor nutrition high in calories, high in cholesterol and fats is a precursor for many types of cancer of the digestive system.

            Proper nutrition leads to the prevention of many major diseases including certain types of cancer. “Cancers of the bowels, stomach, pancreas, mouth, breast, and food pipe are directly related to diet, a diet high in fiber, fruits, and vegetables can greatly reduce a person’s risks of these types of cancer” (Nilsen, 2011). It is also advised to limit the amounts of red and processed meats eaten, as well as limiting sodium intake, and limiting the consumption of caffeine and alcohol to decrease the risk of obesity related cancer. Of course exercise and maintaining a healthy body weight is also an important prevention method.

            Overall proper nutrition, healthy eating, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body weight is the major prevention mechanism in many chronic diseases that are related to obesity and unhealthy eating. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables, limiting your intake in sodium, caffeine, sugars, and alcohol can keep your body healthy and working properly. A healthy person is usually a more energetic person whose body has the ability to fight off infection and viruses. It has also been proven that a healthy person is able to think clearer and performs better academically and professionally. Many employers are trending toward charging what they deem as “unhealthy employees”, those that smoke, drink, or are overweight more money in insurance premiums. With all the problems that being unhealthy causes a person, wouldn’t you think it is better to just eat healthy to prevent problems later on in life?

Works Cited

               Diabetes basics (n.d). Retrieved March 10, 2012 from http://www.diabetes.org.

   Nilsen, R. (2011, June 27). Cancer statistics with healthy and unhealthy eating. LiveStrong Magazine, Vol.89. Retrieved March 10, 2012, from Academic Premier Database.