Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disease affecting approximately 7% of the US population.  Diabetes is categorized into two classes: Type 1, or insulin dependent diabetes, and Type 2, or adult onset diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone necessary for the metabolism of glucose.  Type 1 Diabetes is generally diagnosed in childhood or early adolescence and is considered to be primarily genetic in origin.  Symptoms include extreme hunger, fatigue, rapid weight loss and blurry vision.  There is no cure for Diabetes, but successful treatment includes insulin injections, blood sugar monitoring, a healthy diet, and regular exercise.

Type 2 Diabetes accounts for 90-95% of all Diabetes cases in the United States.  In Type 2 Diabetes, the body is either insulin resistant or the pancreas does not produce enough insulin.  This type is often preventable and is strongly linked to obesity.  Symptoms are similar to Type 1 Diabetes but, depending on the severity, treatment may only include blood sugar monitoring, a healthy diet, and regular exercise.  Severe or advanced cases may require medication and/or insulin injections.

Resources at Northwestern for Diabetes:

The Division of Endocrinology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital provides comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for a variety of endocrine related disorders.  Physicians in the department specialize in endocrine tumors, endocrine disease genetics, gestational diabetes, and offer specialized services in diagnosis and treatment of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.  The department participates in a variety of NIH-sponsored research trials.  Results from NMH’s participation in the National Institute’s of Health 10-year study on prevention of type 2 diabetes can be found at http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/news/2009C-October/Diabetes.html.

Click to see physician finder:

http://nmhphysicians.photobooks.com/

Northwestern Physicians/ Researchers specializing in Diabetes treatment:

The Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine at Northwestern University features a diverse faculty, many of whom are leaders in their field.  The department, headed by Dr. Andrea Dunaif, is committed to clinical and basic science research development and training.  The research interests of the department are diverse and extend to multiple subfields of endocrinology.  Researchers studying diabetes include Dr. Franck Mauvais-Jarvis, who studies the role of estrogen receptors in pancreatic cells, Dr. M. Geoffrey Hayes, PhD, who studies the genetic components of diabetes, and Dr. Boyd E. Metzger, MD, whose research on gestational diabetes has been widely published.

IWHR Highlighted Researcher

Dr. Robert F Kushner, MD, MS is the Clinical Director of the Northwestern Comprehensive Center on Obesity and a Professor of Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine.  Dr. Kushner has published various books, book chapters, and articles and serves on the editorial board of various prestigious journals including Obesity, Obesity Management, and the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.  Popular publications include Dr. Kushner’s Personality Type Diet, Treatment of the Obese Patient and Fitness Unleashed: A Dog and Owner’s Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health Together.  Although Dr. Kushner’s research interests are in obesity and nutrition, his research and publications have implications for a diabetic population.  Recently he published a study in Obesity examining various lifestyle interventions for prevention of weight gain in type II diabetic patients taking the common diabetes medication pioglitazone (Actos®).  The study showed that the weight gain side effects commonly associated with this medication can be diminished or alleviated by lifestyle interventions such as medical nutrition therapy (MNT).  The greatest success was seen in patients who received intensive follow up MNT, which included lessons in meal planning, food preparation, goal-setting and exercise recommendations.

For information on Dr. Kushner or to purchase his books:

http://www.counselingoverweightadults.com/

Other Useful Links and Resources:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diabetes.html
http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/
http://www.diabetes.org
http://www.dlife.com/

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Comments

The number of people all over the world who are infected with diabetes is increasing across the world.Its pathetic to see kids being diagnosed with diabetes at such an early age.Wish some day ,a cure for diabetes is obtained.

My uncle got diagnosed with Diabetes from poor diet. He struggles with it everyday now because of his poor eating habits. This blog has been very informative for me now that I'm trying to learn more about Diabetes. I want to help my uncle as much as I can. Thanks

Good post. Diabetes is getting out of control and needs more awarenes. Great informaiton. <a href="http://www.femaleabsinfo.com" rel="nofollow">Health</a>

I've struggled with type 1 diabetes for ages it seem, but through diet and exercise I've learned to manage it.

My niece was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after she fell into a coma at 11 years of age. It was a devastating time for her family. She has learned to work with her disease but it has not been an easy process. Thankfully she is very happy and fit. I really do appreciate information such as this site provides. Thank you.

Type 2 is 90-95% in the US. A big part of that has to be our sedentary lifestyle. We encourage people to get out of their cars as much as possible after they reach their destination.

I have to say that this is a well written piece. I agree with many of the comments here regarding the need for education.I have found that getting people to do Yoga, even just once a week, not only helps them but it puts them in a “right mind” so that it is easier to then make other healthier changes to their lives.

Many of my Pilates clients have been disgnosed with type II diabetes and have been placed on medication in an attempt to help regulate blood sugar. I've noticed that the ones who improve tend to be the ones who make the lifestyle changes required to help the condition like healthier eating and regular exercise. In my experience there are no quick fixes. Carol

I agree with Deni Lou. The basic Hatha Yoga involves gentle movements and stretches making it a great way to begin exercising especially when a patient has been sedentary for awhile. Starting with an easy physical activity may help them to stick with exercising for a longer time. Aside from physical benefits like strength and flexibility, yoga also provides mental benefits such as added focus, concentration and peace of mind that may help the patients in their goal - setting.

I have an uncle with diabetes type 2 and since he started making lifestyle changes for the long term he has had fantastic results. He is of course much better with his diet, less processed foods, more fruit and veg, he is more active in both incidental exercise, recreation exercise and has one personal training session a week, the biggest change for him is rewriting old habits.

I work with a lot of patients who struggle with diabetes and one of the most worst things about the disease is that is excludes many people from other medical procedures that they need to lead a fulfilling life such orthopedic surgeries.

I'm seeing more kids developing diabetes at an early age. Schools should play a part in creating awareness about this disease and teaching children to eat right.

I have been suffering with diabetes for 7 years and have learnt a lot form this blog. It is a great source for diabetics, so thank you!

This hits close to home, my mom and many in her family have/had diabetes. I am always aware of foods, sugars and exercise and it is one of the reasons I became interested in health. I wish all of you well.

So many people and their families struggle with diabetes. Encouraging families to eat (healthily) together and exercising together is a great way of keeping motivation for positive behaviour.

If you test yourself properly each day and give yourself the correct dosage of insulin it's surprising just how much longer you can live for. It is a pain to keep yourself disciplined but doing so can make all the difference to your life overall.

Just want to ask, I'd like to write some articles, and one on diabetes with exercise and nutrition at my website. Is it ok if I reference this article when I do so? It really puts into perspective how bad things are getting. Hopefully it will shock people into taking some action. Laura x

We are sometimes placed at a very disadvantageous position when we look at being diagnosed with diabetes. It is indeed a misery to speak of but with optimism, we can at least minimize the effect.

As a Type II diabetic, i find it doesn't stop being hard sometimes, but you can learn to help yourself if you find substitutes for the foods you love that are sugar-free instead of denying yourself all the time. If you only think of what you can't have, can't do, can't achieve, this diabetes is indeed a constant misery to you.

Someone posted above that diabetes can be cured by yoga, I think this is false. Yoga can be great for stabilising the condition and potentially reducing the requirement for medication, but a cure? I don't think so.

It's amazing that with so much information around about the benefits of healthy eating that obesity and consequently type 2 diabetes is still happening, logically it should be going down not up. Thankfully this type of diabetes can be controlled through diet and reducing sugars and carbohydrates.

Very interesting article, mind if I post it on my site?

I've been a type 1 diabetic for 13 years and it gets easier and easier everyday! The new medical advances sometimes make it thoughtless especially with a continuous glucose monitor and pump! If anyone ever needs some support or just wants to ask me a question contact me!

I used to be a nurse working for a local hospital and saw all to often the effect of diabetes on our patients across all age groups. The sad thing is, that most of the diabetes is preventable by lifestyle and diet. I own a dog and regularly go for a walk and also go the gym 3 times a week. I think people need to take baby steps and just start out with walking the dog around the block and then as their fitness improves, walk a bit further. The family dog is the perfect excuse for doing this, because you are not only improving your health (and reducing the risk of diabetes) but also improving the dogs health as well.

I think there is a solution to diabetes and even for those who do have type 2 diabetes. Wasim Akram, a cricketer. Fast bowler had diabetes but still played professional cricket well into his 30's. His secret was exercise and diet control along with regular monitoring of blood sugar levels. I think that is the solution for everyone else too.

Hey, I've bookmarked this page on my Digg. Like it a lot. It's kinda scary when you see the statistics as they are, but there's so much we can do to change this. Unfortunately it means taking action, and for a lot of people this will sadly be far too much effort :s We live in a magic bullet society, and I can't even count the number of times I've advised my clients on ways to combat their diabetes, only to see their eyes glaze over as they presumably dream about x-factor, or the latest fat-burner pill on the market. It really does come down to personal responsibility, but also education. Self education. I realise it can be confusing getting the right advice, but if you take a step back, and ask yourself, "who has the health and kind of body I want?" and follow what they do, you'll see great things start to happen. Eating the right food, and training properly can cure diabetes. Type 2 at least. It's a bold thing to say, but I've helped people to do this. A lot of folk don't realise that resistance training can be very effective in restoring insulin sensitivity too. I won't go on, but I write about this all the time, so it flows like a river once I start :) Laura x

I know a few people who have diabetes and it kills me to see people get it who obviously aren't taking care of their bodies. I know Type I isn't avoidable, but please start taking care of your diet and exercise plans!

I know that diet is very important I have to eat properly or my fibromyalgia flares up and hurts a great deal. I realize now how important it is for diabetics as well. Thank you for the post.

I still remember my grandmother going to the clinic each and every day to get a shot of insulin. Back then syringes used repeatedly. My father now handles himself. It's amazing to see how medicine advance rapidly...

I lived with a guy that suffered from diabetes and it was a constant battle for him to maintain his blood sugar levels at the right level. I had to keep a bottle of Coke in the fridge in case his sgar levels dropped below a certain point which would basically send him into a convulsive fit.

Owning a dog can help this disease. Walking, training and playing with your dog are healthy, stress-relieving activities that help manage the disease.

Diabetes can lie undetected for several years. However, it can cause serious health dangers. These include blindness, cataract, thrombosis, and nephropathy. To avoid these consequences, it is important that prevention and treatment methods be used by the diabetic patient.

Interesting read. Type 1 diabetetes is just bad news but type 2, that is fully workable with correct eating and exercise. @NancyD, you are correct. Whilst we are being educated to eat healthier, the system is churning out high sugar food on a daily basis and the problem just keeps getting worse.

What I think is very worrying about the trends in diabetes is the incredible increase in type 2 diabetes. We are seeing this trend in the UK as well and it is presumably happening in other countries too. From what I have read this is strongly linked to obesity and people are developing type 2 at a much younger age.We really need to do something about our diet.

A year later and the epidemic is worse. We've got to get people up and moving around as well as managing nutrition. Otherwise we're going to be a Type 2 nation in another 10 years.

Thanks for the post. My mother has been warned about being pre-diabetic and her doctor is concerned. I have been hearing some news about whole grains added to your diet can help lower insulin levels. This is one reason why oatmeal is recommended in the mornings. It would be interesting to see if there is a scientific study on this and that hopefully shows that we can lower the amount of people who are currently diabetic. Thanks again.

From Web MD: Exercise is very important in managing type 2 diabetes. Combining diet, exercise, and medicine (when prescribed) will help control your weight and blood sugar level. Exercise helps control type 2 diabetes by: * Improving your body's use of insulin. * Burning excess body fat, helping to decrease and control weight (decreased body fat results in improved insulin sensitivity). * Improving muscle strength. * Increasing bone density and strength.

I saw in the discovery channel that they are close to 95% of curing diabetes. whatya think?

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