Let’s Not Sugarcoat it, Diabetes Is On the Rise
Written by Gabriela Trejo
Edited by Tiffany Yuen
Jan 18, 2021
Edited by Tiffany Yuen
Jan 18, 2021
A chronic disease is plaguing the United States and although it could potentially affect anyone, it disproportionately targets the vulnerable—the elderly, the poor, the uneducated, and the minorities. Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, has become an epidemic in America that is expected to double in years to come. Diabetes is a metabolic disease due to the body’s inability to produce or utilize insulin effectively. Insulin is a vital hormone that converts food into glucose, otherwise known as sugar, for energy. When insulin is unable to perform its job, it creates a spike of glucose in our bloodstream, which results in high blood sugar. There are three main forms of diabetes: type 1 diabetes, which is diagnosed in childhood; type 2 is diagnosed in early adulthood; and lastly, gestational diabetes, which develops during pregnancy. Diabetes, diversity, and disparity: what do we do with the evidence? focuses primarily on the adverse effects of type 2 and gestational diabetes, and although there are alternative forms of diabetes, they are less common and occur from genetic defects or drug use. Diabetes is a concerning disease because it can sneakily develop until irreversible damage has been done. Late symptoms or complications are hard to reverse or manage. Some of these complications include: amputations, blindness, body’s inability to fight off infections and a prolonged healing process.
Sugar is in almost everything we consume, so how is it possible that only particular groups of people are at higher risk for developing diabetes, in particular, type 2 diabetes? To further understand the underlying disease predominantly in minorities, we can examine some of the risk factors: age, ethnicity, genetics, socioeconomic status, psychological factors, sex, and lifestyle. In terms of age, studies have revealed that developing diabetes increases with age. Type 2 diabetes often goes unnoticed in the early stage and thus, goes undiagnosed, which poses a threat to an individuals’ life. Sandra Black’s commentary on diabetes reveals that an alarming “20% of Hispanic Americans, and 30% of African Americans and Native Americans'' account for diabetes-related deaths (Black 545). A huge contributing factor to diabetes is one’s social and economic status. Studies suggest a correlation between an individual’s education level or annual income and diabetes. Approximately 40% of adult diabetics were reported to be unemployed. Unemployment alone contributes to an individual’s likelihood of developing diabetes. Now, if things were not bad enough, stress has also been linked to have a negative effect on blood glucose regulation. An individual’s sex also attributes to the likelihood of developing diabetes. Gestational diabetes spikes blood glucose and develops during pregnancy, thus specifically affecting women, and if left untreated, can give rise to hypertension or even death of the mother and infant. Developing diabetes ultimately increases as these different risk factors weigh on an individual's life.
All three forms of diabetes can be life threatening if untreated, therefore, a call to action on the severity of this disease must be reached. This entails creating intervention methods that involve detecting the early stage so that individuals still have time to change their lifestyles and manage their health better. Additionally, an investment in treatments and prevention programs are dire to minimize the severity and mortality rate. Lastly, it is vital to promote healthy lifestyles and good nutrition early on to decrease diabetes from increasing in the near future.
Works Cited
Black, Sandra A. “Diabetes, diversity, and disparity: what do we do with the evidence?.” American journal of public health vol. 92,4 (2002): 543-8. doi:10.2105/ajph.92.4.54381.