Diabetes Overview
Have You Wondered About…
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What does “diabetes” mean?
What is not “in balance”?
How is energy used?
What gives me energy ?
How is energy moved around the body?
Is there a “key”?
What triggers diabetes?
Are there high risk factors?
Define: “Diabetes Mellitus”
• Diabetes= siphon, to
flow through (Greek)
• Mellitus= honey or
sweet (Latin)
Literal meaning: Sweet Urine!
Sugar the body can’t use
leaves the body as urine.
History lesson: Doctors used to
taste the urine to diagnose
diabetes! The honey-sweet urine
attracted flies and ants.
The Right Balance
Digestion
leads to sugar
in the blood
Eating food
leads to sugar
in the stomach
Insulin helps
take the sugar
from the blood
to the cell
The Upset Balance
Eating food
leads to sugar
in the stomach
*No sugar for cells
*Body cells “starve”
*Wastes build up
*Sugar is lost in
urine and
builds up in blood
Digestion
leads to sugar
in the blood
NO insulin to
take the sugar
from the blood
to the cell
Three main problems
• Pooped out pancreas: Not
enough insulin
• Stubborn tissues: Body cells do
not allow insulin to work
• Leaky liver: Liver dumps too
much sugar (glucose) into the
blood
Let’s Review!
• Digestion leads to sugar in the
_______.
• Insulin is the ____ that allows glucose
to enter the cell.
• What are the three main problems in
diabetes?
Pooped-out _______; Stubborn
_______; Leaky _________.
How is energy used?
Body cells need “fuel” for energy
• In muscles for movement
• In the brain for thinking
• In the eye for seeing
What are some “fuel” sources?
What happens if the fuel is not used for
energy?
How is our body like a car?
• What happens if the fuel does not get
burned up properly?
• What happens if the car runs out of
fuel?
• What happens if there is fuel but no
key for the ignition?
• Fuel can’t get into the body cells
without a key.
• The key is insulin.
The Blood Transports Fuel
2. In the intestines
carbohydrates
are turned into
glucose
1. Carbohydrates
that are eaten
go to the stomach
and intestines
6. Cells use glucose
to do their work
3. Glucose/sugar (fuel)
is carried to the
cells by the blood
4. Glucose/sugar
(fuel) must enter the
cells to be used
for energy
5. Insulin takes glucose/sugar
into the cells
Let’s Review!
• Body cells need a steady supply of ______.
• Our body changes carbohydrates that we
eat into a form of sugar called ________.
• Insulin is the ____ that allows glucose to
enter the cell.
• True or False? The blood takes the
glucose (sugar) to the cells.
• True or False? Some of the sugar is
stored in the stomach for later use.
Signs of Diabetes
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Thirsty
Hungry
More urine
Tiredness
Dry mouth
Diabetes Triggers
“Why Me?”
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Being overweight
Being older
Accidents, serious illness
Operations
Emotional stress
Medicines like steroids
Pregnancy
Inactivity, lack of physical fitness
High Risk Factors
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Woman with large baby (more than 9 lbs)
Woman with diabetes in pregnancy
Brother or sister with diabetes
Parent with diabetes
Overweight
Little or no exercise
Age 45 or older, 65+
Native American, Hispanic, African or
Asian American
Let’s Review!
• Name 3 signs of diabetes.
• True or false: Emotional stress is a
diabetes “trigger.”
• True or false: Men have a higher risk
for diabetes than women.
• True or false: If you have a parent with
diabetes, you will definitely eventually
get it yourself.