“Incurable, but what about the future?”
THE DISEASE
What is Diabetes? Diabetes is when there is an instability with the hormone insulin. We have the two types of Diabetes: Type 1 Diabetes, which is when the pancreas is producing little to no insulin, and then Type 2 which is when the body is affected how it produces blood sugar. And of course there is at risk Diabetics which can be reversed, unlike the two types of Diabetes. What’s hard is that there is no real way to stop Diabetes from taking hold because a lot of people have a genetic predisposition, or the organs just aren’t pumping blood the way it should. So, as scary as it may seem, it just happens without any control.
RISK GROUPS
As I might have guessed, African Americans are at a higher risk for Diabetes than any other group of people. Below are the statistics on Black people attaining the disease or living with the disease:
- African American are 80% more likely to have Diabetes than our White counterparts. https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=4&lvlid=18
- African Americans are 1.7 times more likely to have Diabetes than Whites. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/high-risk-populations/treatment-african-americans.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
- African Americans rates of amputations as a result of Type 2 Diabetes is higher, 5.6 per 1,000. https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2014/10/14/blacks-with-diabetes-more-likely-to-face-amputation
- African Americans have a higher level of obesity which contributes to Diabetes. http://pmj.bmj.com/content/81/962/734
BREAK IT DOWN
The video below explains how Diabetes work. ©Diabetes UK; http://www.diabetes.org.uk.
TREAT YOURSELF GOOD
If you are at risk for Diabetes, come from a family where you are genetically predisposed, or even an ethnic group that has high risks of Diabetes, be kind to yourself. You have to know, especially if it’s genetics, that you have to eat right and exercise. I have made it my business to now have routine doctors visits starting this year. Because as an African American male, I have higher risks of getting Diabetes which could lead to heart attacks, stroke, or even in some cases blindness and amputation. So eat right, exercise, and get plenty of rest. Your body is your most important asset; so protect your investment.
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