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.
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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.
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