ALL Internet Lesson: "What is Diabetes"

Student Online Activity Sheet
(Print this worksheet for students)

You just finished a discussion about diabetes with your teacher and other students in your class. Several of the questions asked are:
1. Is it contagious?
2. Who gets it?
3. Are there different types of diabetes?
4. What are the symptoms?
5. Can it be cured?

In this lesson you will explore numerous web sites to find answers to those questions and others that you may have about diabetes. While completing the exercises below, remember to find answers to the five questions above.
You will see new vocabulary words in this lesson. Here is a list of some of those words. Go to the first letter to see the definition.

Vocabulary
diabetes
digestion
metabolism
insulin
hormone
pancreas
glucose
urine

1.The three main types of diabetes are:
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes was formerly called juvenile-onset diabetes because it is usually diagnosed before a person is age 40.

Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes typically appears later in life, often in people age 40 and older who are obese or overweight.

Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes develops in pregnant women with no previous history of diabetes. Most cases clear up after the mother has delivered her baby.
2. Read, then list the 7 signs of diabetes .
1. ____________________________________ 5. ____________________________________
2. ____________________________________ 6. ____________________________________
3. ____________________________________ 7. ____________________________________
4. ____________________________________  ____________________________________

If you (or someone in your family) has a high number of these signs, what should you do?

____________________________________________________________________ 

3. Find and study the Prevalence and Diagnosis of Diabetes chart on the diabetes statistics
According to this chart how many people with newly diagnosed diabetes were there in the United States in the age range
40-59_____________

60+ _______________

20-39 _______________

How many more people diagnosed with diabetes were there in age 60+ than 20-39? _______________

4. Go to the web site on Risk Factors and Prevention

If you think you know someone who might be at risk, list a few reasons why they are at risk:

____________________________________________________________________ 

____________________________________________________________________ 
5. The document on Healthy Habits in avoiding diabetes offers practical advice. Many new cases of Type 2 diabetes can be prevented by two lines of defense. What are the 2 most important preventative measures that the experts suggest? Here are some ideas about diet

1. ___________________________________________________________________________ 
2.
_______________________________________________________________________ 
6. Go to the Diabetics Myth Page. Read through the myths listed, trying not to read the fact listed underneath each myth. Write one of the myths on the line below. Then, with the new information you just learned about diabetes, try to write some facts that dispute the myth. Then go back to the web site to see if your facts are similar to the experts.

Myth:
_______________________________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________________________ 
Fact:
_______________________________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________________________ 

7. Here is a recipe  that is fun and sugar-free. If you wanted to double this recipe for a party, figure out how much of each ingredient you would need and write the amounts on the lines for the Double Recipe.


Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:

Single Recipe

1/4 cup low-calorie margarine
1 Tbsp. granulated fructose
1 egg substitute equivalent
3 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Double Recipe

_____cup low-calorie margarine
_____Tbsp. granulated fructose
_____egg substitute equivalent
_____Tbsp. water
_____tsp. vanilla
_____cup flour
_____cup baking soda
_____tsp. salt
_____cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream the margarine and the fructose. Beat in the egg, water and vanilla; mix thoroughly.
2. In a sifter, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Sift the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Lightly spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove the cookies from the oven and cool them on racks.

---From Great Starts & Fantastic Finishes cookbook from the American Diabetes Association.
2. Check out this site, National Diabetes  After reading "What Is Diabetes" and "How do you get high blood sugar?", in your own words write a simple explanation of diabetes and how you get high blood sugar.
What Is Diabetes?
_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________ 
_______________________________________________________________________ 
How do you get high blood sugar?
 _______________________________________________________________________ 
_______________________________________________________________________ 
_______________________________________________________________________
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