KorinaLiekhus

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are three main types of diabetes: type one, type two and gestational. 

In type one diabetes the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, if any at all. It is often called insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes, but it can develop at any age. 

Type two diabetes is often called insulin resistant. This is because the cells in the body do not respond normally to insulin, causing the pancreas to make more insulin. 

Most cases of type two diabetes are diagnosed after the age of 45. 

Gestational diabetes is diabetes during pregnancy. The pancreas is not able to keep up with the growing body and the fetus and this causes insulin resistance in the mother. 

In recent years the number of women with gestational diabetes has been between 2% and 10% per year. 

According to Temiloluwa Prioleau from Dartmouth, staying active tends to keep people in the normal glucose level range.

It is harder to stay active during the winter months, so glucose levels begin to move away from the normal range. 

During the holidays it is most common to see blood sugar levels stray from the normal range. 

According to the American Diabetes Association’s survey of more than 1,000 adults over the age of 45, approximately 73% of adults with diabetes have control over their daily diet during the year. 

This percentage drops to about 52% during holiday weeks. This could cause their blood sugar to be higher than normal. 

Everybody deals with this differently; some people have insulin pens or pumps. 

There are also different ways for people to monitor their blood glucose levels, such as a manual poke and meter, or different things such as a Dexcom glucose monitoring system. 

Sophomore Dakota Giwoyna said, “Normally, I dose before I eat, but during holidays I will dose after because I don’t know how much I am going to eat.” These things help her blood sugar not go high. “I also may have to change the settings of my pump so I don’t go low,” she said.   

There are different foods and snacks that people can make that are low in carbs. This includes a peppermint bark that Giwoyna made last year. “I made this last year and it was great,” Giwoyna said. 

Some more low carb snacks to include in a holiday spread are spinach roasted red pepper dip, pumpkin maple pie and gingerbread cookies. 

There are low carb recipes on Diabetes Educator that can provide options to various dietary restrictions. 

People should be more aware of the effects different foods can have on people with diabetes. 

Constant highs and lows can cause other serious conditions, such as heart disease, stroke or chronic kidney disease, according to the American Diabetes Association. 

“You don’t get diabetes from eating too much sugar. One of your organs just doesn’t work for the rest of your life,” Giwoyna said. 

Diabetes doesn’t just affect the people who have it. The people around them need to be aware of what can happen if they go low or high. 

There are different ways to treat these. 

For a low, there are things like glucose tablets, shots and nasal sprays to help the body start bringing itself back to a regular blood sugar level. 

When blood sugar is high, lots of people use fast-acting insulin. 

Depending on the severity of the high or low, however, they should go to the hospital if they are not responding to their glucose treatment. 

According to the World Health Organization, the “regular” blood glucose level is between 70 and 100. However, this will differ from person to person. To maintain this blood sugar level, people sometimes exercise and manage their carbs.  

Sophomore Ruby Scanlan has a grandmother with diabetes. “My grandma has had diabetes for almost around 15 years. I remember when she came to Omaha one year. She brought her meds…and she showed me how she did it. She had to keep injecting herself and regulating her levels to live. Around Christmas last year, we thought she was going to die. She had not been keeping up with her medication. Thankfully, she is alright now and is very open about talking about her medicines,” Scanlan said.  

This type of thing could happen to almost anybody with diabetes. That is why it is important for everyone to be aware of the effects of diabetes, especially since the holidays are coming around and desserts will be at every family dinner.