Biology: All About Diabetes Essay (Biblio Included); Outline(Upon Request)

Essay by mrjatinchopraHigh School, 10th gradeA, January 2004

download word file, 5 pages 3.0

Downloaded 122 times

In America, about 15 million Americans have diabetes and about half of them have not been diagnosed by it. Diabetes is a complex disorder of the body's chemistry.

In our body, the components of food are broken down into glucose, which the body uses as an energy supply. In a person with diabetes, the glucose or sugar in the body cannot or has trouble in breaking down. Insulin, the main cause of all diabetes-related diseases is a hormone produced by the pancreas, which helps breaking down the glucose or sugar into the energy that the body needs. People with diabetes don't have enough insulin or no insulin in their body to do this, which may cause physical problems if not treated, or diagnosed. The glucose levels or sugar levels rises in the blood due to the sugar in the body. To maintain this level, people with diabetes must watch what they eat and check their blood sugar level at least 4 to 6 times a day.

And they need insulin doses to help break down their food. Unfortunately, insulin cannot be in a pill form, because the digestive juices would digest it before it has a chance to take affect. That is why insulin must be injected into a tissue, usually the thighs, or arms in order to work. If a kid forgets to inject the insulin doses, then their sugar level will not stay stable, and they'll feel dizzy, weak, or tired.

There are two types of diabetes mellitus, Type I, and Type II. Type I is most common in kids, but adults sometimes get it too. Overweight, 30-40 years old people are usually the ones to get the Type II form of diabetes, but again kids can get it too. The two types are similar and both have...