What is diabetes?DIABETES is when your body can’t useglucose, a sugar that your body uses forenergy, correctly. When you eat food,your small intestine takes out the sugar,or glucose, and puts it in your blood togive your cells energy to do their jobs.To get into the cells, the glucose needsinsulin, a hormone made by the pan-creas, which works like a key to openthe cells and let in the glucose. Glucoseis carried around the body in the bloodand the glucose level is called glycae-mia. The glucose level can’t be too highor too low, it’s got to be just right.In people with diabetes, their pan-creas either cannot make insulin or theinsulin it does make is not enough.Without insulin glucose builds up in theblood leading to high blood glucoselevels which causes health problems.Below is a diagram that shows howinsulin, glucose and our cells interact tokeep our bodies healthy.

Types of diabetesTHERE are several forms of diabetesbut the two main types are:Type 1, which can occur at any age

but usually affectschildren and youngadults. Ten to 15%of all people withdiabetes have type1. In type 1 dia-

betes, thepancreas

cannot produce enough insulin becausethe insulin making cells have been des-troyed by the body’s immune system.People with type 1 diabetes must haveinsulin every day to live.Type 2 diabetes affects 85-90% of peoplewith diabetes. It usually affects adults butmore younger people, even children, aregetting type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes isa lifestyle disease and is strongly associat-ed with high blood pressure and excessbody fat. The pancreas makes insulin butit is not working as well as it should, so itmust make more. Eventually it can’t makeenough to keep the glucose balance right.

Word wall◗ Hypoglycemia, also called low bloodglucose or low blood sugar, occurs whenblood glucose drops below normal levels.◗ Hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar(glucose), develops when there is too muchsugar in the blood.

Health hub – Diabetes

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS◗ Being more thirsty than usual◗ Passing more urine◗ Feeling tired/lack of energy◗ Always feeling hungry◗ Having cuts that heal slowly◗ Itching, skin infections◗ Blurred vision◗ Unexplained weight loss (Type 1)◗ Gradually putting on weight (Type 2)◗ Mood swings◗ Headaches◗ Feeling dizzy

Koalas under threatTHE Federal Government has listedkoala populations in Queensland,New South Wales and the ACT asvulnerable and added them to thethreatened species list, undernational environment laws.Federal Environment Minister

Tony Burke said he acceptedkoalas were under serious threatfrom habitat loss, urban expansion,vehicle strikes, dog attacks anddisease.“The Queensland, NSW and ACT

koala populations are clearly introuble, so we must take action.’’he said.The long-awaited decision will

impact on those who want to clearkoala habitat particularlydevelopers, miners and graziers.*GO ONLINE and take the poll.

Should koala habitats be protectedagainst development?

Croc spottedIT IS rare for crocs to be sightedsouth of Gladstone in centralQueensland but wildlife rangershave set a trap in the Mary Rivernear Maryborough to try to capturea large 3.5 metre salt watercrocodile spotted by a commercialfisherman.Environment Minister Andrew

Powell says it is the first confirmedsighting of a saltwater crocodile inthe region.

WHAT’S NEWS

NEXTWEEK’STOPIC:

Living within the

Law

NEXTWEEK’STOPIC:

Living within the

Law

GO ONLINE by visiting yournewspaper’s website. You’ll find theaddress on the front page. Look for theNiE logo at the top of the page andclick. This will link you to APN’s NiEwebpage.

Living with diabetesWHILE there is currently no cure fordiabetes, people who have it can stilllive an enjoyable life by learning aboutthe disease and effectively managingit. Diabetics must monitor their bloodglucose. Go online to play games tohelp you understand diabetes.

TASKTIMEONLINE

TASKTIMEONLINE

WHAT type of animal hasbeen spotted in the Mary

River near Maryborough inQueensland?

1

QUIZ TIMEEach week we willtest your knowledgeon what’s beenhappening in thenews. For theanswers visit NiE

online.

QUIZ TIMEEach week we willtest your knowledgeon what’s beenhappening in thenews. For theanswers visit NiE

online.

WHY did PM JuliaGillard suspend Labor

MP Craig Thomson?

3

WHICH US singer gavebirth to a girl named

Maxwell Drew Johnson onMay 1?

2

◗ This is sugar, glucosethat comes from food.

◗ This is insulin which yourbody does not have. Youneed the insulin to allow theglucose to get into the cell.

◗ This is a human cell,like the ones inside you.

◗ The insulinacts like a key tothe cell. It helpsthe glucose toget into the celland feed it tokeep it healthy.This helps tokeep youhealthy.

Did you know that diabetes is Australia’s fastest growing chronicdisease? It is a common and potentially serious condition that cancontribute to heart and kidney disease, gangrene, blindness and evendeath. It is estimated that one million Australians have diabetes andabout half of those are not aware that they have the condition.

User: Paul.Stuart Time: 05-07-2012 13:48 Product: SSH PubDate: 12-05-2012 Zone: All Edition: Main Page: SHARED_14 Color: CMYK