When most people think of the pancreas, they think of Diabetes. There is a good reason for this. Diabetes is so common that over 10 percent of Hispanics and about 7.8 percent of Americans are living with this problem. Many of those people don’t even know that they have Diabetes. However, some types of Diabetes are preventable. Simply exercising (even if it’s only a little bit every day) and healthy eating can help you to stay free of this disease. The ADA (American Diabetes Association) publishes a free Latin American recipe book which you can get by calling 1-800-342-2383.
There are three types of diabetes; type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes usually begins in childhood. It happens when the pancreas becomes unable to make enough insulin (A hormone that tells the cells to let sugar in) for the person to function. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas makes enough insulin, but the cells ignore it (so the sugar can’t get in). This is the type of Diabetes that most people have. Gestational diabetes can only happen to a pregnant woman.
However, most women with gestational diabetes get type 2 Diabetes later in life. Without treatment, all of these types of diabetes result in high blood sugar. High blood sugar can cause many other problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, nerve damage, blindness, kidney failure, impotence (inability to keep an erection), and poor wound healing (sometimes leading to infection and amputation of the affected body part. You can have high blood sugar without knowing it, but some problems you may notice if your blood sugar is high are; extreme thirst, blurred vision, lethargy, excessive urine production (you will find yourself taking frequent trips to the bathroom) and unexplained weight loss.
Another pancreas problem is chronic pancreatitis. This condition can result in nausea, abdominal pain, diabetes, and it can be hard for the body to digest fats and proteins. In many ways this condition is also preventable. In fact, 70 percent of all adult cases are caused by chronic alcohol abuse (around or more than 10-15 drinks a day). So, avoiding alcohol abuse can greatly reduce your chances of getting this painful disease.
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