More than 5,000 Kitsap County residents suffer from diabetes, and many refuse to accept that it changes their lives. People don't pay attention until the damage is done. Both Schweigert and May have Type 2 diabetes, where the pancreas still produces some insulin but the body's cells have built up a resistance to the insulin. Both also are overweight, which results in increased cell resistance to insulin. The body's whole metabolism is disrupted, with devastating effects on the body, Higley says.
Heart disease is the one exception.
The best defense, she says, is doing everything you can to protect your heart. In short, live a healthy lifestyle. But the reality is cardiovascular disease is two to four times more common in diabetics and is present in 75 percent of diabetes-related deaths. Diabetes also is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults 20 to 74 years of age. Diabetes can damage the blood vessels in the retina and steal sight.