Diabetes is a disease that impairs the body's ability to use food properly.

Normally, your small intestine takes out the sugar, or glucose, and puts it in your blood. The glucose is burned as fuel to give your cells energy to do their jobs. To get into the cells, the glucose needs insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, a gland located just beneath your stomach. Insulin acts like a key to open the cells and let glucose in. Trying to burn glucose without insulin is like trying to set fire to a pile of logs without a match. It can't be done.

In people with diabetes, the pancreas does not make enough insulin to burn glucose or the insulin they have doesn't work right. The cells that make insulin have been destroyed. Doctors don't know for sure, but they believe this happens when the body's immune system attacks the insulin-making cells in the pancreas. When your body is trying to fight a virus, the insulin-making cells look like the virus, so your body fights them too.

Type I Diabetes (insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes) often runs in families. Although it can occur at any age, it usually develops before the age of 30. About 12,000 children in the United States get diabetes every year. People with Type I diabetes usually don't produce insulin because cells have been destroyed. Treatment of Type I diabetes requires a strict daily regimen that includes a carefully monitored diet, insulin injections, and monitoring of blood glucose.

Type II Diabetes (non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset) typically develops after the age of 40, but can appear earlier. People with Type II diabetes produce some insulin, but the body cannot use it effectively. Treatment includes weight loss (many Type II's are overweight), proper diet, reduced sugar intake, and exercise. More severe cases may be treated with oral medication or insulin injections.

Eating Right

People with diabetes have to be particularly careful about what they eat in order to best manage their diabetes. But everyone can benefit from a healthy diet. In fact, eating healthy now can help to prevent Type II Diabetes later in life. Here are some things you can do to improve your diet:

Eat less fat.

Eating too much fat is bad for your heart and body. People often eat too much fat. Some examples of foods that contain lots of fat are bacon, bologna, gravy, salad dressing, butter, and margarine. A little bit of these foods is okay, but it's a problem when people eat too much fat. Some examples of food that are lower in fat are fish, chicken, turkey, fruits, vegetables, and pasta.

Eat more carbohydrates (starches and breads).

You can do this by eating beans, peas, lentils, whole grain breads, cereals, and pasta. You should also eat more fruits and vegetables.

Eat less sugar.

With diabetes you need to be extra careful about when and how much sugary food you eat. Foods with a lot of sugar include desserts like cake, pie, and cookies, sugary cereal, honey, syrups, and regular soft drinks.

Eat less salt (sodium).

Eating too much salt can cause your body to hold more water and your blood pressure to rise too high. Canned soups and other processed foods are often high in sodium.

YOUNG PEOPLE AND CHRONIC ILLNESS: True Stories, Help, and Hope by Kelly Huegel When Kelly Huegel was 12 years old, she learned that she had Crohn's disease, an incurable illness that affects the digestive system. Frightened and confused, she searched in vain for books that might help her understand and cope with her disease. Now 23, Kelly has written her own book: a wise, practical, heartfelt guide for all young people with chronic illnesses—and everyone who cares about them. In Part 1, she presents true stories about "people like me"—teens and young adults with chronic illnesses including asthma, diabetes, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, leukemia, epilepsy, tetralogy of fallot (congenital heart defect), and hemophilia. Part 2 offers advice, suggestions, and strategies to help readers develop a positive relationship with their doctor, talk to their friends, communicate with family members, and fit in at school. Kelly explains the benefits of joining a support group and points the way toward additional resources, from national organizations to Web sites. A source of strength, inspiration, and sound advice for young people diagnosed with chronic illnesses, this inspiring book helps them learn to cope, know they're not alone, and make the most of the wonderful opportunities that lie ahead. 176 pp., B&W photos, S/C, 6" x 9". Ages 11 & up.

Famous People With Diabetes

Halle Berry, actress Elizabeth Taylor, actress Mary Tyler Moore, actress Elvis Presley, rock and roll legend Ella Fitzgerald, jazz legend Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead band member Dizzy Gillespi, jazz pioneer Mark Collie, country singer Tommy Lee, Motley Crue band member Bret Michaels, Poison band member Arthur Ashe, tennis player Bobby Clarke, hockey, Philadelphia Flyers

Ty Cobb, baseball, Detroit Tigers Kenny Duckett, football, New Orleans Saints Bill Gullickson, baseball player, Cincinnati Reds Billy Jean King, tennis great Jackie Robinson, baseball Sheri Turner, golfer Sylvia Chase, ABC news reporter Ernest Hemingway, 20th century novelist George Lucas, director Thomas Edison, inventor of the lightbulb, phonograph, telephone Winnie Mandela, South African anti-apartheid leader

Links about Diabetes   Juvenile Diabetes Foundation   Children With Diabetes, the on-line magazine for kids   American Diabetes Association

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