Preventing Obesity to Prevent Diabetes Essay

Diabetes is an ailment in which the human body refuses to produce or make appropriate use of insulin. Insulin happens to be a hormone which is required to convert starches, sugar and other foods into energy for everyday life. Although the causes of diabetes remain as a mystery, many medical experts believe that genetics and poor lifestyle choices – e g. lack of exercise – that result in obesity may very well be responsible for the disease (â€Å"Diabetes†). Of course, when insulin is prevented from converting starches, sugar and other foods into energy, metaphorically speaking, it is as though a person has lost a leg or an arm, especially when the individual is just a child. At a growing stage, children’s bodies should be effectively converting foods into energy, so that they can develop into mentally and physically healthy people – the future of our world. Besides, all kinds of preventable abnormalities are equally harmful. Imagine the effect on a child’s self-esteem, not only when he or she is called ‘fat and clumsy’ by his or her slim and fit classmates, but also when he or she must undergo treatment for diabetes at the time that his or her classmates are at play. The International Obesity TaskForce reports that almost 1. 7 billion people around the world â€Å"are at a heightened risk of weight-related, non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes (â€Å"Diabetes and Obesity†). Moreover, the International Diabetes Federation has predicted that by 2025, the number of people with diabetes, including children, may reach at least 333 million (â€Å"Diabetes and Obesity†)! Insulin is responsible for taking the sugar from the human blood to the human cells. If glucose starts to build up in the blood rather than going to the cells, two problems may result: (1) The cells could become energy-starved; and (2) Eventually the high blood glucose level may start to hurt the eyes, nerves, kidneys or heart (â€Å"Diabetes†). Unsurprisingly, such suffering is very difficult for a child to bear. Fortunately, however, individuals that are suffering from diabetes may seek their doctors’ advice apart from making changes in their lifestyles to prevent these problems. If the person suffering from diabetes is overweight, the doctor may recommend weight loss. Effective weight reduction plans, in addition to â€Å"increased physical activity,† may help the diabetic person to a large extent (â€Å"Diabetes and Lifestyle†). According to a report published by the World Health Organization, â€Å"more than 22 million children under five years old are obese or overweight, and more than 17 million of them are in developing countries. Each of these children is at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes†¦ (â€Å"Fight Childhood Obesity to Help Prevent Diabetes†). † Obviously, this is expert opinion on the relationship between obesity and diabetes. If a child is watching television or playing video games most of the time and becoming obese, his or her parents should be sending the child to run around with his or her friends in a park instead. Seeing that children in developing countries are also suffering from obesity, and therefore the risk of developing diabetes, it is clear that obesity may be inherited to boot. Children of poor families do not get enough to eat in any case. What is more, if and when they develop diabetes, their families cannot afford to get them treated. But, even if a child’s parents can afford to get him or her treated, medical treatment is more expensive than prevention of obesity. The California Department of Education reports that â€Å"[o]verweight children and youths are more prone to developing serious health problems now and in the future (â€Å"Final Task Force Recommendations†). After all, this is the age of McDonald’s and Burger King, which makes it even more important to prevent obesity in children as well as adults. It is easy to buy a hamburger from Wendy’s on the way back from school – both for the mom and the child. However, the cost of sickness is much higher than the convenience of a drive through fast food restaurant. Everybody wants children to flourish and help the nation and the entire world to prosper as well. Besides, all health experts are of one voice as far as the relationship between diabetes and obesity is concerned. The fact that most people diagnosed with diabetes are obese, be they adults or children – makes it necessary to check obesity. It has been timelessly stated: we are what we eat. Therefore, it is best for both children and adults to be nourished by healthy foods. Fruits and vegetables are always considered superior to fats and hamburgers. Exercise and keeping fit are always better than excess weight. Nobody has ever doubted that human beings love to eat good food. At the same time, however, it must be borne in mind that obesity may turn into a severe disorder. It may negatively affect the individual’s mental state, by lowering his or her self-esteem. What is more, a child that is fed on McDonald’s five times a week may eventually become incapable of studying in school if diabetes ends up hurting his or her eyes. Mothers too may be rendered helpless as far as housework is concerned. Undoubtedly, therefore, in the case of diabetes, it must be timelessly stated: obesity prevention is better than cure.