preview

A Short Note On Type 2 Diabetes Report

Good Essays

L1 HSC: Type 2 Diabetes Report
Does the ‘Thrifty Gene cause weight gain which subsequently leads to Type-2 Diabetes?

Type-2 Diabetes is a serious issue for our community. Type-2 diabetes is a disease that is becoming increasingly prevalent and affects growing numbers of people. In New Zealand there are 240,000 people with diabetes and it is thought that there may be as many as 100,000 individuals with undiagnosed diabetes. It puts an estimated one on five New Zealanders at risk and is the sixth leading cause of death for New Zealanders. It is especially common among Maori and Pacific island communities as well as South Asian people. For reasons that will be further discussed regarding the Thrifty Gene Theory. As the frequency of diabetic diagnoses increases there is a greater and greater health risk to the community as Diabetes can lead to more complicated issues like heart disease, stroke, kidney and neurological damage as well as diseases around eyes, skin and other issues. In 1996 almost 1,500 deaths were attributed to Type 2 Diabetes. At current Type 2 Diabetes kills around 2,500 New Zealanders annually.

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder, essentially, the body cannot correctly handle glucose in the bloodstream. It occurs when the blood-glucose level of an affected person becomes too high (hyperglycemia). In normal circumstances, the glucose in the bloodstream is regulated by a hormone called Insulin and another called Glucagon. When glucose levels are higher than

Get Access