Let's Talk About It with Jenny White/Young teens with diabetes

Diabetes is a serious disease. The food we eat is turned into giucose (sugar) so our bodies can use it for energy.  When you have diabetes, glucose builds up in your blood and cannot get into the cells in your body.  If blood glucose stays too high for too long, it can damage your eyes kidneys and nerves. You are at risk if someone in your family has diabetes; if you weigh too much; do not get enough physical activity or are Hispanic/Latino, American Indian; Alaska Native; African American, Asian American or Pacific Islander.

 According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases about 208,000 young people under 20 years of age have diagnosed diabetes. Most of them have type 1.  As obesity rates in children continue to soar, type 2 diabetes, a disease that used to be seen primarily in adults over age 45, is becoming more common in young people especially if there is a family history of it

To keep healthy you should: be physically active every day;  try to keep a healthy weight; and eat healthy foods.