Diabetes outbreak is a term that medical professionals use to explain the harrowing increase of people who develop the disease diabetes mellitus. Normally, the term outbreak is reserved for sicknesses that are uncontrolled, frightening, and affect mass quantities of people such as malaria and tuberculosis. Unfortunately, all of those terms also describe diabetes as well.
According to data from the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 18.8 million children and adults have been diagnosed with diabetes. In addition, researchers estimate that another 7 million people have the disease,but have not been properly diagnosed. To make matters worse, 79 million more people are pre-diabetic, which means that they have impaired glucose functioning, or uncontrolled blood glucose levels. If they do not modify their lifestyles, they, too, will soon be diabetic.
Each year, 1.9 million more people contribute to the diabetes outbreak. The majority of these people are suffering from Type 2 diabetes, which is a direct result of being overweight or obese and having high blood sugar levels.A smaller percentage of people have Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disorder, which mainly affects children and young adults. Both inhibit insulin function and require an individual to monitor their blood sugar levels frequently.While not much can be done to rectify Type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes is not only preventable, but also reversible if people are willing to adhere to strict lifestyle changes.
Diabetes Outbreak – Who is at Risk?
Anyone can develop diabetes. It is a disease that does not discriminate based on age, gender, or race. While older people and certain races are more prone to developing the disease, anyone can develop this condition at any time. People who are older than sixty-five, are overweight or obese, and have uncontrolled glucose levels, are the most susceptible to getting this disease. Add other factors like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sedentary lifestyle, tobacco and alcohol use, and an individual can almost guarantee that they will have diabetes sooner rather than later. While most people fall into one or more of these categories, it is easy to see why there is a diabetes outbreak.
Diabetes Outbreak – What Can Be Done?
Reversing a diabetes outbreak is a hefty task. There is no quarantine that will fix everyone. Prevention has to start at home on an individual basis. People need to be accountable for their own lifestyles, including being more active. Physical exercise should be a daily routine. Diet should consist of healthy, home cooked meals and people should refrain from smoking and drinking. Monitoring blood sugar and losing weight are also ideal. Once a person has met all of these objectives, their risks of diabetes will greatly be reduced.
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