You can get diabetes if your body does not use insulin right. Insulin in your body changes the sugars in food into energy. Type 1 diabetes happens when your body destroys its own cells that make insulin. Type 2 diabetes happens when your body doesn't make enough insulin. Diabetes affects women of all ages. Almost one in 10 Hispanics/Latinos is diagnosed with diabetes. Hispanics/Latinos are almost twice as likely as whites of the same age to have diabetes. Hispanic/Latina women have more cases of diabetes than Hispanic/Latino men.

People with diabetes are more likely to have problems with their skin, mouth, kidneys, heart, nerves, eyes, and feet. Hispanics/Latinos are more likely than whites to have serious health problems caused by diabetes, such as eye disease and kidney disease. Although type 1 diabetes can't be prevented, there are steps you can take to prevent and control type 2 diabetes:

• See your doctor regularly. Don't forget about the dentist and eye doctor!
• If you smoke, try to quit. Quitting is hard, but there are programs that can help.
• Control your blood sugar and cholesterol levels, your blood pressure, and your weight.
• Get moving. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise a day, most days of the week. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walk during breaks at work.
• Check your feet every day for blisters, red spots, swelling, or cuts.
• Stay aware of how you feel. If you notice a problem, call your doctor right away.

Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy. This type of diabetes occurs in about 1 in 20 pregnancies. During pregnancy your body makes hormones that keep insulin from doing its job. To make up for this, your body makes extra insulin. But in some women this extra insulin is not enough, so they get gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes usually goes away when the pregnancy is over. Still, women who have had gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. Hispanic/Latina women, especially when they are overweight, have higher rates of gestational diabetes than non-Hispanic white women.

What are the three types of diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes: Type 1 diabetes (Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, IDDM, or juvenile diabetes) usually starts during childhood or adolescence, and accounts for approximately 5 - 10% of all cases of diabetes. Because insulin production is virtually nonexistent, insulin injections are usually required. Specific risk factors for this type of diabetes are unclear.

Type 2 Diabetes: Type 2 diabetes (Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, NIDDM) accounts for approximately 90 - 95% of all cases of diabetes. This is a more controllable form of diabetes which usually occurs in adults ages 40 and above. It is more common in women than in men, and it is almost always found in individuals who are overweight.

Gestational Diabetes: Between 2 - 5% of pregnant women develop a temporary form of diabetes known as gestational diabetes. This occurs among Hispanic women almost twice as often than among non-Hispanic women. Women who have had gestational diabetes are at risk for the development of Type 2 diabetes later in life.

What are the risk factors for diabetes?

The major risk factors associated with diabetes are:

• Being over the age of 45.
• Being overweight.
• Having a close family member (like a parent or sibling) who has or has had diabetes.
• Having had diabetes when you were pregnant.

Can we prevent diabetes?

Recent studies point to the fact that moderate diet and exercise can delay and possibly prevent Type 2 diabetes. As Hispanics we are all aware that diabetes is a very common problem in our communities. The best way to deal with diabetes is to try to prevent its appearance in the first place, which is most easily done with Type 2 diabetes. Although its causes are not well understood, insufficient exercise and being overweight are the greatest risk factors for all of us. Therefore, to the extent that we exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight we can do a great deal to block the appearance of this disease. If diabetes appears despite these efforts, we should understand that many of the complications of diabetes can be prevented by paying careful attention to how we take care of ourselves and by working closely with our health care providers. With diabetes, almost more than any other disease, our attitude day by day will determine how the disease will affect the quality of our lives.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

• Urinating often.
• Being very thirsty.
• Feeling very hungry.
• Feeling very tired.
• Losing weight without trying.
• Having sores that are slow to heal.
• Having dry, itchy skin.
• In women, genital itching and fungal infections (vulvovaginitis).
• Losing feeling in your feet or having a tingling feeling in your feet.
• Blurry vision.