http://www.wicz.com/healthyvoice/index_nov_10.asp
“You can’t eat that!” “You’re allowed to eat that much sugar?” And my favorite quote “ I thought all diabetics were fat.” Growing up, these are the stereotypes that I heard everyday growing up along with many others. Type One diabetes is a disease that gets all of its stereotypes from all different areas. Most specifically, it is related to Type two diabetes although each one is very different from each other. My hope is to go into the field of nutrition and work to rework all of the stereotypes that us type one diabetics face on a normal day.
First off, what exactly is type one diabetes? In the simplest terms, this means that one’s pancreas stops producing insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is very important in the function of the body, and for these matters, being able to convert the glucose cells to both starches and other forms of energy you need in your daily activities. Without insulin cells, your blood glucose would rise and slowly breakdown your body making you very weak. While there is insulin therapy to fix these issues, it is not a cure. This is why nutrition plays such an important part in diabetes management. Without being able to understand carbohydrates and their role in the body, it is impossible to know what we have to eat in order to maintain a proper blood sugar.
http://www.healthnfitnessinformation.com/preventing-diabetes-outbreak/
Now that you get what Type One Diabetes is, let’s face the real issue. Type One and Type Two diabetes are two completely different diseases and it is because of this that all of the stereotypes of type one diabetics begin. Recently, I read an article about Type Two Diabetes from The Journal of the Annals of Internal Medicine talking about what it is and how it is caused. While I knew that it had major differences from type one, I wanted to have my facts straight when giving the facts. What I learned was that, rather than not being able to make insulin, your body is unable to properly use the insulin that they have. Why this type is considered “adult onset” is because it forms over the course of one’s life and is really caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. Type One Diabetics, on the other hand, usually get the disease at a young age and there is no prevention for it. The reasoning behind this, although not fully understood yet, explains that Type Two diabetes has to do with the body’s inability to properly use insulin.
Type two is also linked with obesity and is the most common among people diagnosed with diabetes. The reason that so many people believe that those with type one diabetes are unhealthy and cannot control their eating is because there is a correlation between unhealthy lifestyle and type two diabetes. And while these two diseases are in fact different, they lead to the same nutritional issue of the inability to get glucose the proper way out of the body. Now, I could end this blog post one of two ways. First, I could say that the next time someone says they have diabetes, don’t assume they are unhealthy and cannot do what they want. But, I would prefer to end by saying that at the end of the day, we are both putting up the same fight in trying to keep our bodies healthy working to make sure that what we eat will allow our bodies to remain in the best shape they can. Either way, this is why I chose the field of nutrition. To help those around me fight the same and also not the same fight every day through our dietary needs. If you want any more information about type two diabetes and prevention hit up this site:
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-2/
Vijan, Sandeep. “Type 2 Diabetes.” Annals of Internal Medicine 162.5 (2015): ITC1.