Читать книгу DASH Diet For Dummies - Sarah Samaan - Страница 50

Diabetes is an illness that affects how the body processes glucose. When you eat, the body converts food into the most common form of energy: glucose. Glucose circulates in your bloodstream to be used as fuel for many parts of the body. In response to this, insulin is secreted to metabolize the glucose (in other words, deliver it to cells). Insulin is the hormone responsible for ensuring that the glucose in your bloodstream is put to work. All people with diabetes have problems with either producing or using insulin.

Since the 1970s, the prevalence of diabetes has more than doubled, and the number continues to rise. At the time of this writing, 34.2 million people in the U.S. have diabetes and more than 425 million people worldwide are living with diabetes. Many more are at high risk for developing the disease. It’s estimated that 1.5 million people are diagnosed in the U.S. alone each year. The vast majority of diabetes cases are the type 2 variety and in most cases are a direct consequence of diet, lifestyle choices, and obesity. Once known as adult-onset diabetes, this term is now a misnomer because more and more young children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.