Heart Disease

URL for video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4dw8_ck-LY

Summary:

This video by the British Heart Foundation interviews a woman who is living with type 2 diabetes. She describes how insulin is often prescribed for diabetics. Although she does not mention it, insulin injections are often needed because a diabetic’s body is unable to make or use its insulin properly. Lyn (the woman being interviewed) mainly talks about what causes the disease and how it can be prevented or treated. Type 2 diabetes is often associated with being obese and having a sedentary lifestyle. The higher your BMI (body mass index), the higher your risk of getting the disease. Also, certain nationalities and genetic risk factors can effect the likelihood of someone getting this disease. A way to prevent it though, is simply to exercise. By doing aerobic exercise (ex. walking, jogging etc.), the excess fat on your body is being used as "fuel" and this can help lower your BMI. If the person does not exercise and is obese, they are more likely to get the disease. Unfortunately, diabetes is a chronic pathology: once you have it, it’s nearly impossible to get rid of it. Luckily, as Lyn talks about, by exercising and losing the extra weight, she has been able to reduce her medications/symptoms. Overall, Type 2 Diabetes is a very serious disease, luckily it is mostly preventable with a healthy lifestyle.

Relevance to Bio class:

Recently, we have been studying human body systems including the: Respiratory, Circulatory and Digestive systems. When one of these systems are affected by a disease, the entire body is thrown off balance. Diabetes unfortunately effects a lot of different systems. It effects the digestive system because with diabetes your body cannot process sugar properly, it also effects the circulatory system because too much sugar in the blood can damage blood vessels and impede circulation (most commonly to the feet). Circulatory problems can also lead to kidney failure. In conclusion, diabetes is a serious problem that effects the human body systems that we have been discussing this term.

Video information:

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4dw8_ck-LY
Date of publication: May 17, 2013
Creator's Youtube username: BrittishHeartFound