KentNewsNet.com

Issue date: 2/18/09 Section: News

Carmen Blakely-Adams, nutrition and dietetics professor, spoke about the harm diabetes can cause in children and adults yesterday evening in Oscar Ritchie Hall. Kristina Deckert | Daily Kent Stater

Olivia Ryan, freshman fashion design major, found out she has Type 1 diabetes two years ago.

"Sometimes I wouldn't go to sleep because I would be too scared that I wouldn't wake up in the morning," Ryan said.

Diabetes is a disease that can be controlled, but it's also the fifth deadliest disease in the United States, said Carmen Blakely-Adams, nutrition and dietetics professor .

Blakely-Adams spoke to students about diabetes, the warning signs, ways to prevent it and how to deal with it last night in Oscar Ritchie Hall.

"It's killing our community, and it needs to be stopped," Blakely-Adams said.

Ryan was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in high school. She said she first started to notice that something was wrong when she began getting disoriented at basketball practice. Her legs would get really weak, and her head would start to throb.

The following week Ryan went to the doctor's office for a check-up.

"She (the doctor) came in and told me I had diabetes, and I just started crying," Ryan said.

Blakely-Adams said the first step to dealing with diabetes is knowing one's own body. A person should be knowledgeable about his or her family history, she said. Staying healthy is also key to preventing diabetes.

"If you lose 10 to 15 pounds, you can reduce your risk of diabetes by 60 percent," Blakely-Adams said.

Some risk factors include obesity, elevated blood glucose levels, hypertension, a high cholesterol level, physical inactivity and smoking, Blakely-Adams said. All of those risks are manageable; however, age, gender, race and heredity are not. People at higher risk for diabetes should be doing more to prevent it, because there is no cure for the disease, she said.

Eating a healthier diet and exercising five to seven times a week can help prevent the disease, she said.

Diet control for people who have been diagnosed with diabetes is very important, Blakely-Adams said.

"All that comforting food is what's killing us," she said.

Diabetics should only have a certain amount of carbohydrates per meal - equal to about three slices of bread, Blakely-Adams said.

Trans fats should be avoided completely. These are the sugars that come from sweets like cookies and desserts, she said. Diabetics should only have about three cups of milk a day because of the natural sugars in it. Alcohol is also very harmful to diabetic and should be avoided, Blakely-Adams said.

Ryan lives with and controls her disease every day. She said she takes good care of herself so she can lead a normal, healthy life.

"You just really have to take care of yourself," Ryan said. "It's not something you can't live with."

Contact ethnic affairs reporter Sara Welch at swelch6@kent.edu.

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