Cultyral Disease Paper

What is Type 2 diabetes? It was once known as the adult onset or sometimes referred to the noninsulin dependent diabetes. It is a condition in which your body metabolizes its sugar which is referred to as your glucose. This is your bodies main source of energy; its fuel.

The body becomes resistant to all of insulin's effects when have Type 2 diabetes. Insulin is a hormone that regulates the movement of sugars in cells, or your body may not produce or make enough insulin to keep your levels at a normal level. When Type 2 diabetes is left untreated it can become very serious and also a life threatening matter. Doctors and specialists are still unsure why this may happen but excess weight and lack of a healthy active lifestyle seems to be a big factor.

With at alarming numbers about 40% of U.S. adult's ages 40-74 currently are living with pre-diabetes and million are Hispanic/Latino. Pre-diabetes is a condition that can raise a person's risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes.

Hispanics/Latinos are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S.

Factors that may account for this may include behavior contributions such as increased fat consumption, and decreased or lack of any physical activity. It could also be because of demographics an increasing growth of a-risk populations such as genetics, cultural and the community or cultural tradition and socioeconomic statuses. "The level of patient knowledge and empowerment has a great impact on the disease burden associated with diabetes." (US DHHS, 2000).

The symptoms or modes of transmission of Type 2 diabetes are and may increase is

* Excessive thirst

* Fatigue

* Increased urination (mainly at night)

* Weight Loss

* Blurred vision

* Weight loss

* Itching

* In women-vaginal yeast infection, fungus infections under the breast or groin area)

* In men-erectile dysfunction

Some other factors that may contribute to Type 2 diabetes may be smoking. Smoking increases the risk of diabetes. In a 2006 study smokers are twice as likely to develop diabetes to those individuals who have never smoked. In that same study it also found that that the exposure to second hand smokes also increases the risk. Researchers still are not fully sure why some develop it and some do not but it is clear that these factors are highly contributed to Type 2 diabetes:

* Weight- being overweight is an extremely high risk factor and is the primary cause for type 2 diabetes. The more fat you carry, the more resistant your cells are becoming to the insulin they produce insulin.

* Inactivity- the less active or no exercise, the greater your risk of type 2 diabetes. Physical activity can help you control your weight; exercise uses up the sugar/glucose as energy and makes your cells a lot more sensitive to insulin.

* Family history- if a relative, parent or even a sibling has it your risk of developing it is even higher and your chances of having diabetes are a higher.

* Race -experts are not exactly sure why but blacks, Hispanics, American Indians and Asian-Americans ethicality are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.

* Age- type 2 diabetes increases as you get older, especially after the age 45. It is mainly because people tend to exercise less, lose muscle mass and gain weight as they age. Ranges of type 2 diabetes are greatly increasing among children, adolescents and younger adults.

* Gestational diabetes- gestational diabetes develops while you were pregnant, then your risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life may increase.

There is no cure for diabetes, but you can set goals to get healthier and the first step is to maintain a healthy glucose/sugar level. You may also want to set a couple of long term goals to prolong your life, relieve the symptoms, and prevent any long term complications that Type 2 diabetes can cause such as kidney failure and also heart disease.

Basic diabetes management skills will help prevent the need for emergency care or even a long term illness. These basic skills can include:

* How to recognize low blood sugar and treat it

* Your diet when and what to eat

* Learn how to test and record your blood glucose levels

* How to take insulin properly

* Adjust insulin and/or food intake when changing exercise and your eating habits

A healthy lifestyle choice can help you prevent Type 2 diabetes, even if it runs in the family diet, exercise and being well informed can help prevent the disease. You can choose foods low in calories and