History of Diabetes
Having a history of diabetes in the family can be a factor for patients who think they may have diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that affects countless Americans and is commonly associated with the intake of too many sugary drinks and treats. However, this is not the only cause of diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association is an organization that works to educate the general public about diabetes, its causes, and its effects. The organization also works to raise awareness and funds for the care of diabetes patients and the research to help find better ways to manage or cure diabetes. The information provided on their website includes tips on living with diabetes, the types of foods that are best for diabetes patients as well as those that should be avoided, and fitness ideas for diabetes patients. They also offer an easy method of donating money to the association for it to continue its efforts. The American Diabetes Association organizes and sponsors various volunteer organizations around the country including youth programs and other educational programs.
The discovery of diabetes happened in the first century B.C. and before. This disease was remarked upon by both Greek physicians during this time as well as Indian physicians, and in Japan, China, and Korea it is also known as the “sweet urine disease”. This was because the easiest method of identification was by noticing that the urine of affected people contained extra amounts of sugar. In fact, early physicians noted that ants were likely to come to the place where a person with diabetes had urinated to collect the sugar there.
The history of diabetes mellitus begins around this time. However, it would be a long time before physicians had found a way to treat diabetes. Most descriptions of diabetes patients were that their lives would be short and painful. It wasn’t until around 1000 B.C. that one of the first useful treatments was made. It was a combination of several herbs which helped reduce the secretion of sugar. This treatment is still sometimes used in modern times. Diabetes mellitus
was better understood only around the 1900’s, when the correlation between the pancreas and diabetes was found. In these experiments, the dogs whose pancreas had been removed developed all the symptoms of diabetes. In 1910, following the research on the pancreas that ensued from the experiments, Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer found the correlation between insulin and diabetes.
Having a family history of diabetes can increase an individual’s chances of having the disease. Type 1 diabetes, which is usually acquired over a very short period of time, is not usually associated with genetics. It seems to be attributed more towards lifestyle factors. However, type 2 diabetes, which is an adult onset version of the disease that is often acquired very slowly over a long period of time, is often related to genetics. If there are family members with a history of type 2 diabetes this significantly increases the chances for diabetes in the subsequent generations of that family. Some of these factors are environmental in the sense that many families will tend to have similar dietary habits. Diets that include many sugary drinks and foods can increase the chances of acquiring diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes. Since diets are often passed down through families, this can be attributed to diabetes in later generations. However, some people are genetically more susceptible to diabetes regardless of their family’s eating habits.
There are many factors in lifestyles that will make a person less susceptible to diabetes of any type. These factors include high levels of physical activity, a healthy diet, non-smokers, and the consuming of alcohol in moderation. For individuals who actively participate in various types of physical activity as well as those who eat a healthy diet, the chances of diabetes are greatly reduced. For individuals who are also non-smokers and consume alcohol in moderation there is an 82% lower rate of diabetes. Therefore, a good diet and healthy exercise contributes quite a bit to preventing diabetes.
Maintaining a healthy weight in general helps to reduce the risk of diabetes as well. This, coupled with a healthy lifestyle, reduces the chances of diabetes by 89%. A healthy diet is generally defined as one that is high in fiber, a lower mean glycemic index, and a high polyunsaturated to saturated fat ratio. Obesity is correlated with 55% of cases of type 2 diabetes, and is directly correlated with an increase in diabetes in children and adolescents who are obese.
Sugary beverages can increase the risk of diabetes not just because of the fact that they are often correlated with obesity, but even because the fact that they create a situation where the body has to deal with more sugar more often. Consuming sugary drinks, then, can be dangerous for diabetes even in children, adolescents, and adults who are at normal weight levels.
Having a family history of diabetes tends to create situations where subsequent generations will acquire the disease as well, either through genetic susceptibility or from familial dietary habits or some combination of both of these. It is important to know a family’s history of diabetes in order to predict the possibility of diabetes in the subsequent members of that family.