By: Ernest Gurulé
Who doesn’t like a compliment, a comment that often connects someone with a positive trait and is frequently connected to a person’s parents—their eyes, smile, even laughter? It’s the way genetics work. Parents pass certain traits on to their children. But they also pass on are a few other things, traits including predispositions to negative health issues. Diabetes, unfortunately, is one of these things.
Diabetes is a disease that occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce the proper amount of insulin, the hormone that moves glucose or sugar into cells for energy. Diabetes is also a condition growing across America and impacting the country’s Hispanic population at an even higher rate than the general population.
Diabetes is also a condition the Pueblo Community Health Center sees as much of or more often than almost any other health issue. Many of the people it sees are residents of the city’s east side, an area where an older, poorer and higher Latino population resides.
There are two types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2, said Lynne Evetts, a certified family nurse practitioner and Director of Quality at the Pueblo Community Health Center. Type 1 or juvenile diabetes is genetic and shows up early in life. Type 2 is a condition caused by poor dietic habits and develops over time. Type 2, said Evetts, can lead to a number of serious health problems including heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and nerve damage in the limbs that can sometimes lead to obesity and even amputation.
What is alarming about Type 2 diabetes, said Evetts, is the trend it is taking. Her team is seeing it in a grow- ing among adults and now, a number of younger patients. “The youngest child I diagnosed was a 13-year-old boy who weighed 300 pounds,” she said. In seriously obese patients including children, the disease is causing a number of potentially serious other health concerns including higher cholesterol levels and knee and joint pain from carrying too much weight. “It’s especially common on a skeleton that’s still developing,” said Evetts.
Economics and culture are also a couple of factors that play into this common and dangerous health issue. Lower income people, including those who live in food deserts—places where full-service grocery stores don’t exist—tend to buy food they can afford, foods that are often unhealthy and contribute to obesity. Also, many traditional foods can also be high in fat and calories. “We discuss lifestyle,” said Evetts. “We don’t call it diet,” said Evetts. The very word tends to work just the opposite of its intended purpose and can add pressure on patients. “You are not on a diabetic diet…It’s a healthy lifestyle,” she tells them. Evetts says her staff counsels patients to also read labels. “You need to limit carbohydrates, especially unrefined sugars,” she said. A single bowl of sugary cereal can often contain as many carbohydrates as a serving of French fries.
She also tells patients to limit fat intake, “It’s not good for anyone…if it comes out of a package, it’s prob- ably not good for you.” Evetts counsels her patients to use healthier cooking oil—vegetable oil or olive oil—rather than lard. Her rules are simple: eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and watch calorie intake. In addition to becoming more conscious of diet, the veteran health nurse adds one more thing in her conversations with patients: “We all need exercise.” She recommends at least 150 minutes per week (Monday-Friday) for adults and 300 minutes or an hour each day for children.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, rates for Type 2 diabetes among Latinos far outrace—17 percent to 8 percent—that of non-Hispanic Whites. Interestingly, Puerto Ricans are twice as likely to have Type 2 diabetes than someone from a South American background. Among all groups, U.S. adults have a 40 percent chance of developing Type 2 diabetes but rates among Latinos are ten percent higher. Latinos also have higher rates of kidney failure and blind- ness caused by diabetes.
Diabetes so far has no cure but there are things that can control it. Evetts said when she discusses it with patients, she never lectures them. Instead, she tells them, “I can’t care about this more than you, but you have to do the hard part. Let me help you live this the best you can.”
Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy.
