By Tammy J. Gay

The Diabetes Rally and Expo will feature Jim McCord, a Kentuckian whose daughters attend UK. He is running across America to raise public awareness about the importance of diabetes prevention and control.

Sept. 16, 2002 (Lexington, Ky.) -- The Kentucky Diabetes Network, in collaboration with the University of Kentucky and CHA Health, is sponsoring a Diabetes Rally and Expo from noon to 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, in the Student Center Grand Ballroom. The free rally will include diabetes information and products.

The Diabetes Rally and Expo will feature Jim McCord, a Kentuckian whose daughter attends UK. He is running across America to raise public awareness about the importance of diabetes prevention and control.

Diabetes affects approximately 17 million Americans and is one of the most common and serious chronic diseases in the United States. Over the last 10 years, the prevalence of diabetes has increased by 49 percent and is likely to continue to rise with the aging U.S. population and the increasing prevalence of obesity among Americans. In Kentucky, 1 in every 10 adults has diabetes, one third of which are undiagnosed.

Diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.

There are two major types of diabetes. Type 1, formerly known as insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes, often appears during childhood or adolescence. Type 1diabetes develops because the immune system destroys all of the insulin-producing cells, causing patients to be dependent upon insulin to sustain life.

Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset or non-insulin-dependent diabetes, affects more than 180,000 Kentuckians. Risk factors are obesity, inactivity and eating a high-fat diet -- common to many lifestyles in the region.

Type 2 diabetes is caused by three factors: insulin resistance, when the patient's body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin; excessive glucose production in the liver; and as a result of these factors, the pancreas tries to make extra insulin to regulate blood sugar, but finally fails.

For more information about the rally, call (606) 564-9447 or (859) 323-6363.