Promoting diabetes awareness

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - November is Diabetes Awareness Month, a time to bring attention to a disease that affects millions of people.

April Bennett, the Nutrition, Food, & Wellness Program Manager at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County appeared on 7 News at Noon on Thursday to talk about it. Watch her interview above.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Glucose is your body’s main source of energy. Your body can make glucose, but glucose also comes from the food you eat.

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that helps glucose get into your cells to be used for energy. If you have diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough or any insulin or doesn’t use insulin properly. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells.

When it’s not managed, diabetes can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart, and is linked to some types of cancer. Taking steps to prevent or manage diabetes may lower your risk of developing diabetes health problems.

There are two different types of diabetes:

Type 1 is an autoimmune disease.

Type 2 is a metabolic disorder.

Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes often develop slowly over several years and can be so mild that you might not even notice them.

Many people with Type 2 diabetes have no symptoms.

Some people do not find out they have the disease until they have diabetes-related health problems, such as blurred vision or heart trouble.

About 90% to 95% of diabetes cases are Type 2 diabetes.

If you have prediabetes, you have a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in the future. You also have a higher risk for heart disease than people with normal glucose levels.

Nearly 1 in 4 adults with diabetes didn’t know they had the disease.

More than 1 in 4 people over the age of 65 have diabetes.

If you have diabetes, you’re encouraged to ask your doctor how to manage your A1C blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

Make lifestyle changes to slowly build healthy habits one step at a time to eat healthier, be more physically active, and get enough sleep.

Take your medicines on time, even if you feel healthy.

Work closely with your primary care provider.

For more information, visit www.ccejefferson.org or diabetes.org.

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