Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose in the blood to be properly used for energy in the body’s cells.

The causes of diabetes continue to be researched. The disease can result from a number of issues associated with metabolism, but there is not just one cause or metabolic problem that leads to diabetes. Both family history and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles. Women who have had a baby weighing more than nine pounds are also at greater risk. Diabetes is not contagious.

“There is an enormous amount of good research indicating that keeping blood sugars normal in people with diabetes is extremely effective in avoiding the complications of diabetes such as vision loss, kidney disease, nerve damage, heart attack, stroke and amputations,” said physical therapist Sarah Russ.

Some diabetes symptoms include:

? Frequent urination

? Excessive thirst

? Extreme hunger

? Unusual weight loss

? Increased fatigue

? Irritability

? Blurry vision

Health officials recommend that if a person has one or more of these symptoms, they see their doctor right away.

Tests for diabetes include the casual plasma glucose test, and the fasting plasma glucose test (with an 8 hour fast before the test).

“Getting a diagnosis of diabetes can be the beginning of a new awareness about your health and how you can take simple steps to improve it,” Russ said. “A person can have a lot of control over the course of her or his diabetes and its associated complications.”

For more information, and to take the Online Diabetes Risk Test: www.diabetes.org

Information is also available through the Grant County Health Department at 528 E. Main St. and local physicians.

Pre-diabetes requires precautions to maintain one’s healthPre-diabetes is the state that occurs when a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes.

Studies have shown that many people with pre-diabetes develop type 2 diabetes in 10 years, however they can prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes by up to 58 percent through changes to their lifestyle that include modest weight loss and regular exercise.

Health experts recommend that people with pre-diabetes reduce their weight by 5-10 percent and participate in some type of modest physical activity for 30 minutes daily.

For some people with pre-diabetes, intervening early can actually turn back the clock and return elevated blood glucose levels to the normal range.