Diet, exercise and medication use are among the standard tenets of care in managing a disease that affects 23.6 million people in the United States.
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes, which can result in blindness and limb loss, continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.
The American Diabetes Association reports that while 23.6 million people -- or 7.8 percent of the nation's population -- have the disease, many of them are unaware of their condition. According to the association, while an estimated 17.9 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, 5.7 million people do not know they have it.
Claflin University will do its part to educate the community on its role in preventing or delaying the disease's potentially devastating effects with a World Diabetes Day Forum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, at Minister's Hall and Kleist Circle on the university's campus.
The event, which will be held under the theme "Changing Life with Diabetes," is sponsored by Novo Nordisk Inc., a diabetes care company.
Dr. Verlie Tisdale, dean of the university's School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, said organizers hope the free event will draw a large crowd.
"We want people to become knowledgeable about diabetes and how to manage it to actually have a healthy life," Tisdale said.
A research forum, set for 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Iowa Room of the James S. Thomas Science Center, will be among the day's activities. Dr. Anil Kapur, managing director of the World Diabetes Foundation, will be the featured speaker during the forum, which will also include a panel discussion titled "Diabetes Research and Development: Where are We?"
Saturday's event will include a performance by the Double Dutch Forces and a healthy cooking demonstration by Mother Love, a motivational speaker, humorist, advice columnist, author and talk show hostess. Free diabetes, body mass index and blood pressure screenings will also be available, along with the sale of locally grown fruits and vegetables from the Farmer's Market.
Some produce will be given away as prizes. Refreshments and family entertainment, complete with complimentary T-shirts and jump ropes, will also be available at the forum.
Tisdale said Orangeburg native Leslie Johnson, a University of South Carolina graduate who is now a graduate student in Claflin's biotechnology program, will present her diabetes research during the research forum. Tisdale said Johnson's presentation will look at the disease's impact on the black community.
"We are trying to determine where we are and where we're going with research," Tisdale said. "Once she's made her presentation, we'll talk about how diabetes affects the African-American community, how physicians are treating patients and what pharmacists are seeing."
There are few endocrinologists between Columbia and Charleston, and Dr. Jocelyn A. Myers of Palmetto Endocrine Associates is the only one within a 40-mile radius of Orangeburg.
In the area of diabetes research, Myers said there are now several new treatment drugs in the pipeline.
"There are two new classes of drugs that came out in the last year or two. ... There's a drug looking at working on the pleasure centers of the brain to help prevent overeating. They (researchers) are still looking at better insulin delivery devices and easier ways to monitor blood sugar," Myers said. " It's more of a public health issue, but there is still some individual responsibility in terms of finding what you can and working with what you have."
A dietary change from fried foods and those high in fat and carbohydrates to more fruits and vegetables tops Myer's list of tips for diabetics.
"There's also still limited exercise in this area. We've been discussing that with people looking at community planning. There are also people still not taking their medications properly. That is paralyzing a lot of people," Myers said. "I think there is an assumption that diabetes complications are a foregone conclusion and not an understanding that they are preventable or delayed with proper treatment."
For more information, call Helene Carter at 803-535-5351 or e-mail hcarter@claflin.edu.
T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5534. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.