Tremaine M. Trotter
Professor Stephen Ulrich
ENGL101
6 May 2015

Type 2 Diabetes
We are surrounded by bad health choices every day; sugar, fried foods, fast food, and carbohydrates in addition to overeating and sedentary lifestyles. As consumers we need to be more aware of the harm the foods we eat and the lifestyles we lead do to our bodies and health of our families. These choices can lead to a number of health complications, one of which being diabetes, one of the ten leading causes of death in America ("Leading Causes of Death."). Unfortunately the risk of diabetes is estimated to continue to rise, as of 2014 it was estimated that, at least, one out of three people will develop Type 2 diabetes in their lifetime ("2014 National Diabetes …show more content…
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body slowly develops a resistance to the insulin the pancreas produces and, as a result, blood glucose levels become unnaturally high ("Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus."). In the past Type 2 was described as adult onset diabetes, as it was often found in adults and the elderly; now Type 2 diabetes can be found in young children as a result of high fat, high sugar foods and lack of exercise (Overview of Diabetes in Children and Adolescents). According to the CDC, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, out of the 29.1 million Americans believed to be …show more content…
On average a non-diabetic will have an A1c of 5.7% or less, an FPG of 100 mg/dl or less, and an OGTT of 140 mg/dl or less ("Diagnosing Diabetes and Learning About Prediabetes."). Anything higher than these numbers is a sign of prediabetes or diabetes. When first diagnosed, a patient will coordinate with a team of doctors to create a plan for managing their diabetes; this vital team generally includes the patient’s primary care physician, a diabetes nurse practitioner, a registered dietitian, an endocrinologist, an eye doctor, a mental health specialist as well as a pharmacist("Your Health Care Team."). After working with their healthcare team the patient will have a comprehensive diabetes management plan that explains where the patient is now in regards to blood glucose levels and where the doctors would like the patient to be. The plan will lay out a dietary plan, an exercise plan, the list of the prescribed medicines and the dosage of each, as well as guidelines and advice for the patient. While Type 1 diabetics have only insulin injections to manage their diabetes, Type 2 diabetics have more options available;