Mexico has a slightly higher rate of type 2 diabetes than does the U.S. That partly reflects a genetic predisposition for the disease as well as a diet that is now high in soft drinks and certain other processed foods.
Less than 10 percent of people with the disease have type 1 diabetes, in which the body's immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Most people with that form require insulin injections. Far more common is type 2 diabetes, in which cells throughout the body become resistant to insulin, a hormone that ferries glucose from the blood to the body's cells. To compensate, the pancreas initially produces more insulin, but after several years production starts to drop, causing blood sugar levels to rise. Most cases are triggered by obesity and inactivity.
Our take
Type 2 diabetes responds well to lifestyle changes, so you hold the key to prevention and control. Jay Skyler, M.D., associate director of the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami in Florida, reversed his own diabetes through diet and exercise and is dismayed that many doctors write off their patients' ability to make lasting change. "You should give diet and exercise a real chance before you start down the road of using medications," he says.
