Diabetes

You can get diabetes if your body does not make or use insulin right. Insulin is what is in your body that changes the sugars in food into energy. Type 1 diabetes happens when your body destroys its own cells that make insulin. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesn't make enough insulin. A growing number of children are getting type 2 diabetes. Children have a greater chance of getting type 2 diabetes if they are overweight or if a family member has it. Data on how many cases of diabetes are in the Asian American/Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian population are limited. Some groups within these populations are at increased risk for diabetes. For example, data collected from 1996 to 2000 suggest that Native Hawaiians are 2.5 times more likely to have diagnosed diabetes than White residents of Hawaii of similar age. Guam's death rate from diabetes is five times higher than that of the U.S. mainland. And it is one of the leading causes of death in American Samoa. People with diabetes have a higher chance of having problems with their skin, mouth, kidneys, heart, nerves, eyes, and feet. Although type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, there are steps you can take to prevent and control type 2 diabetes:

• See your health care providers regularly. Don't forget about the dentist and eye doctor!
• Don't smoke.
• Control your blood sugar and cholesterol levels, your blood pressure, and weight.
• Exercise (30 minutes most days of the week is best).
• Check your feet everyday for blisters, red spots, swelling, or cuts.
• Stay aware of how you feel-if you notice a problem, call your health care provider right away.