Diabetic Health Warning

As members of the federal government discuss and debate over the issues universal health care in the United States, researchers at the University of Chicago have released a health warning related to diabetes in America.

Currently it is estimated that 24 million Americans live with diabetes costing some $113 billion each year. According to the report released by researchers those numbers will increase drastically in the next 25 years to some 44 million Americans costing $336 billion each year. The increases in medical costs will put a further strain on the Medicare and Medicaid systems already bursting at the seams due to a lack of enough money.

Estimates state that 80% of those with diabetes is a result of being overweight.

Diabetes - also sometime called sugar blood - is a disease caused by an excess of sugar in the bloodstream. Glucose (sugar) is required by the body for energy; but in order to be used by the body the glucose must be moved from the bloodstream to the cells, this is the job of the pancreas which releases insulin. With diabetes the pancreas produces too little or no insulin.

By controlling the diet and regulating the amount of sugar released in the bloodstream diabetes can be controlled. In some cases simply by regulating the diet and exercise a person can eliminate the need for artificial insulin.