November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and for Sailors and civilians, there are plenty of reasons to observe the month; more than 30 million reasons in the United States alone.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, 30.4 million adults in the U.S. have diabetes, and about one out of every four don't even know that they have it.

According to Lt. Ruth Cortes, a physician assistant aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), people who are diabetic or pre-diabetic show several signs.

"Your fingers and toes go numb, or they hurt," said Cortes. "You might be peeing a lot, and your vision starts to kind of fade. What diabetes does is attack all the little blood vessels first. Over time, you start losing vision and kidney function. It slowly takes away your normal functions. That's something people need to recognize."

For Cortes, recognizing diabetes begins with knowledge.

"With diabetes, there's a strong genetic component," said Cortes. "There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. Type 1 can develop at an early age, and you did nothing wrong other than having some bad luck with your genes."

Cortes said that those with type 1 diabetes can't create insulin, a hormone that helps the body break down sugar. Without it, the body starves for sugar, and begins to break down muscles.

According to the CDC website, type 1 diabetes accounts for approximately 5% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes in adults, with type 2 accounting for the remaining 95%. Risk factors can include high blood sugar levels, being overweight, being 45 years of age or older and being physically inactive.

Those who develop type 2 diabetes may have trouble breaking down sugar, but they ingest a lot of it, said Cortes.

"You're eating a lot of things like starchy white breads and sugary drinks," said Cortes. "Over time your pancreas, which is in charge of making insulin, gets exhausted. It just can't do the work anymore, so the sugar hangs around in the blood. It has nowhere else to go, because the insulin is supposed to pick it up and move it out of the bloodstream. Now, you're walking around with high blood glucose all day long."

For someone curious about the glucose levels of their blood, there is a way to find out.

"We do a test called hemoglobin A1C, and that gives us an average of someone's glucose level," said Cortes.

If someone has a high enough glucose level, Cortes said that they may be diagnosed as pre-diabetic or diabetic. Cortes said that there is no quick and easy path with prevention and treatment, and although prescribed medication is one common solution, ultimately someone looking to treat diabetes will find themselves turning to diet and exercise.

"Exercising is one of the most natural ways to lower your blood sugar," said Cortes "If you're a very avid exerciser, when you eat sugar it leaves your system because your muscles draw it up during exercise. It has to be rigorous exercise, like good cardio. But, if you're sedentary and you have a bad diet, then your chances of developing diabetes are much higher."

The CDC website says that healthy eating is an important part of controlling diabetes.

"You want a low-glycemic diet," said Cortes. "Low sugars. You don't need to deprive yourself completely of things you like, but don't indulge in sugary food and drinks every day. If you're drinking three sodas a day, look at that sugar content. If it's in the double digits, know you need to be careful, especially if you're already symptomatic or on medication. A lot of the white, starchy foods; potatoes, french fries, white bread, pastries. Again, moderation. Carbs shouldn't be a mainstay of your diet. It should be more greens, and fish, and fruits. They have more of a nutritional impact because they have the vitamins and minerals you need."

Cortes said that, medication or not, maintaining these behaviors is an important part of preventing and controlling diabetes.

"Some people are just like, "Oh well, who cares, I'll take my medication and move on," said Cortes. "You can't just eat whatever you want though; you'll end up with a lot of indigestion, increased cholesterol, nausea, and other stuff."

Cortes recommends that people keep themselves educated on diabetes, as well as monitor themselves for warning signs if they feel they may be at risk.

"Look for any signs of change," said Cortes. "For females, maybe their menstrual cycle has changed. For males, it may be erectile dysfunction. Those are typically clear signs that something is wrong, and they should come in and get seen. Things like frequent urination, night sweats, or blurry vision can be an indicator. If something changes, instead of ignoring it, get seen sooner rather than later."

For more information on diabetes, visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov, or call 1-800-232-4636. Sailors can also find more information on the American Diabetes Association website, www.diabetes.org, or call 1-800-342-2383.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil,
www.facebook.com/usnavy, or href='http://www.twitter.com/usnavy'>www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from USS George Washington (CVN 73), visit www.navy.mil/.