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Category: The Chronicles of Grant County The Chronicles of Grant County
Published: 20 November 2019 20 November 2019

diabetes tumisu from pixabayThis image was provided by Tumisu from Pixabay.

The need to help people with diabetes has been–and is–critical in New Mexico and throughout the United States.

“Approximately 241,120 people in New Mexico, or 14.1% of the population, have diabetes,” according to the most recent report from the American Diabetes Association published in 2016. “Of these, an estimated 59,000 have diabetes but don’t know it, greatly increasing their health risk. In addition, 603,000 people in New Mexico, 39.7% of the adult population, have prediabetes with blood glucose levels higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Every year an estimated 12,000 people in New Mexico are diagnosed with diabetes.”

“Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high,” stated The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. “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. Sometimes your body doesn’t make enough–or any–insulin or doesn’t use insulin well. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells.”

There are several types of diabetes–Type 1, Type 2, and Gestational Diabetes.

“If you have Type 1 diabetes, your pancreas isn’t making insulin or is making very little,” detailed the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “If you have Type 2 diabetes, cells don’t respond normally to insulin; this is called insulin resistance. Your pancreas makes more insulin to try to get cells to respond.”

cdc graphThis graph was provided courtesy of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is a substantially higher risk for diabetes among Americans with certain racial and ethnic backgrounds, including individuals with Native American, Alaskan Native, African American, and Hispanic American heritage. 

“Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy in women who don’t already have diabetes,” according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“In 2015, 10% of mothers had gestational diabetes,” according to a report from the New Mexico Department of Health. “American Indian mothers had the highest percent of gestational diabetes (18%).”

Amputations are one of the unfortunate consequences that can occur because of diabetes. While the statistics vary from different sources, the overall impact of diabetes on levels of amputations is without question.

“People with diabetes comprise approximately 5% of the population, but account for 50% of all non-traumatic lower extremity amputations,” noted a statement issued by the United States Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in 2001.

The statement continued by detailing that “According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, between 1993 and 1995, about 67,000 amputations were performed each year among people with diabetes. In 1999, this number increased to 86,000. Amputees with diabetes have a 50% chance of bilateral amputation after 5 years, often as a result of increased wear on the remaining limb. Of greater concern, the 3-year survival rate after one major lower extremity amputation is only 50%, and the 5-year survival rate is approximately 40%.”

According to Ms. Melanie Miller, Senior Research Specialist at the Amputee Coalition, approximately “900,000 people are living with limb loss related to vascular diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes” in the United States.

That number is anticipated to grow to more than 1.6 million Americans by 2050, according to Estimating the Prevalence of Limb Loss in the United States: 2005 to 2050, a research report written by Dr. Kathryn Ziegler-Graham, Dr. Ellen MacKenzie, Ms. Patti L. Ephraim, Dr. Thomas G. Travison, and Dr. Ron Brookmeyer.

The Congressional Diabetes Caucus, composed of 317 members (a substantial majority of the members) of the United States Congress, noted on its website that “Diabetes is the leading cause of nontraumatic lower-limb amputations. More than 60 percent of nontraumatic lower-limb amputations in the United States occur among people with diabetes. In 2006, about 65,700 nontraumatic lower-limb amputations were performed each year among people with diabetes.”

Beyond affecting pregnant women and impacting the levels of amputations, diabetes is a major cause of death–both nationally and in New Mexico.

The New Mexico Department of Health reported that “Diabetes was the 6th leading cause of death overall in New Mexico in 2016, but there were differences in rank order by race/ethnicity. Diabetes was the 4th leading cause among Asian/Pacific Islanders, 5th among Hispanics and American Indians, 7th among Black/African Americans, and 8th among Whites.”

There are a number of risk factors for diabetes.

“You are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes,” according to The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases “if you are overweight or obese; are age 45 or older; have a family history of diabetes; are African American, Alaska Native, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander; have high blood pressure; have a low level of HDL (‘good’) cholesterol or a high level of triglycerides; have a history of gestational diabetes or gave birth to a baby weighing 9 pounds or more; are not physically active; have a history of heart disease or stroke; have depression; have polycystic ovary syndrome NIH external link, also called PCOS; [and/or] have acanthosis nigricans – dark, thick, and velvety skin around your neck or armpits.”

You can take the Diabetes Risk Test, provided by The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases by clicking here.

diabetes foods jacqueline sosa from pixabayThis photograph was provided by Jacqueline Sosa from Pixabay.

According to The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, “The key to eating with diabetes is to eat a variety of healthy foods from all food groups, in the amounts your meal plan outlines.” Among other foods, non-starchy vegetables recommended for people with diabetes include “broccoli, carrots, greens, peppers, and tomatoes.”

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases reported that there “are some things you can change to lower your risk” of Type 2 Diabetes: “Lose weight and keep it off. You may be able to prevent or delay diabetes by losing 5 to 7 percent of your starting weight. For instance, if you weigh 200 pounds, your goal would be to lose about 10 to 14 pounds.”

In addition, the Institute recommended that you “Move more. Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week. If you have not been active, talk with your health care professional about which activities are best. Start slowly to build up to your goal.”

“Eat healthy foods most of the time,” is another recommendation of the Institute. “Eat smaller portions to reduce the amount of calories you eat each day and help you lose weight. Choosing foods with less fat is another way to reduce calories. Drink water instead of sweetened beverages.”

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Contact Richard McDonough at chroniclesofgrantcounty@gmail.com.