The American Diabetes Association defines diabetes as a disease in which the body's pancreas does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into the energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles. Now that more than 18 million Americans have diabetes, it is commonly referred to as a national epidemic. This "epidemic" is brought on primarily by the escalation in the number of people who are overweight or obese due to poor diets and not enough physical activity.

The definition of obesity, in general, is a chronic condition defined as being an excess amount of body fat. A certain amount of body fat is necessary for storing energy, heat insulation, shock absorption, and other functions. The normal amount of body fat (expressed as percentage of body fat) is between 25 and 30 percent in women and 18 and 23 percent in men. Women with more than 30 percent body fat and men with more than 25 percent body fat are considered obese.

Consider these facts:

• Nearly two out of three U.S. adults (64.5 percent) are overweight or obese.
• An estimated 14 percent of American children are overweight, up from just 6 percent in 1988.
• The percentage of Americans classified as obese rose from 15 percent in 1980 to 31 percent in 2000.
• An estimated 18.2 million Americans have diabetes – that's 6.2 percent of the population (of those, only about 13 million have been diagnosed).

Have you ever wondered how much diabetes costs Americans each year?

• Direct medical costs: $92 billion
• Indirect costs: $40 billion (disability, work loss, premature death)
• Total (direct and indirect): $132 billion

Types of Diabetes

• Type-1 diabetes usually strikes children and young adults, although disease onset can occur at any age. Type-1 diabetes may account for 5 to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Risk factors for type-1 diabetes may include autoimmune, genetic and environmental factors.
• Type-2 diabetes may account for about 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. It usually begins as insulin resistance, a disorder in which the cells do not use insulin properly. Type-2 diabetes is associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity.
• Gestational diabetes is a form of glucose intolerance that is diagnosed in some women during pregnancy.
• Other specific types of diabetes result from specific genetic conditions (such as maturity-onset diabetes of youth), surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections, and other illnesses. Such types of diabetes may account for 1 percent to 5 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes. If you have any of the following symptoms, we encourage you to take action and see your doctor right away.

Frequent urination

• Excessive thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Unusual weight loss
• Increased fatigue
• Unusual irritability
• Blurry vision

Sources: American Diabetes Association website, 2005, www.diabetes.org; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, 2005, www.cdc.gov; Department of Health and Human Services website, 2004, www.hhs.gov; National Center for Health Statistics website, 2004, www.cdc.gov/nchs; MedicineNet, Inc., 2005, www.medicinenet.com