November 2021: Diabetes Awareness Month

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Over 10% of the US population has diabetes, and over ⅓ of the US population is diabetic.

Most people know there are two types of diabetes, but not everyone understands the difference between them. 

Diabetes type I and II are both chronic diseases that affect the way your body regulates blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is the fuel that feeds your body’s cells, but to enter your cells it needs a key. Insulin is that key.

People with Type 1 Diabetes don’t produce insulin. You can think of it as not having a key.

People with Type 2 Diabetes don’t respond to insulin as well as they should and later in the disease often don’t make enough insulin. You can think of it as having a broken key.

Both types of diabetes can lead to chronically high blood sugar levels, increasing the risk of complications.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for over 90% of cases, and can be prevented or delayed with healthy lifestyle changes.

The key to finding the right way to manage diabetes lies in working with specialists to discover what works best for you. We can help.

Learn about Uintah Basin Healthcare’s Diabetes Education and Training program by visiting www.ubh.org/diabetes today.

(Additional Resource: www.cdc.gov/diabetes or www.diabetes.org )