Have you seen that Nutty Professor movie remake by Eddie Murphy yet?
The one where he's this big fat guy?
Yeah..that one.
I've seen it. That movie is kinda gross, but its funny as hell! That grandmother of his is off the CHAIN!!!
Yeah, I think its funny too. But one thing about that movie that isn't funny is their eating habits and obesity levels.
Aw man, that's just a movie. They exaggerate characters and stuff for the dramatic effect..you know, just to get laughs.
Oh its funny in the movie, but when you look at the American society today, we're a country that's addicted to fast-food and the 'all you can eat' mentality.
Well, you know how that goes. America is a capitalistic society, we don't fast, we FEAST!!
Um hmm..we're feasting now, but when that high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks, kidney failure or diabetes kicks in, we're the first one's to start crying and moaning 'Why me Lord??!!'
Hey..we all have to die one day, we might as well enjoy ourselves while we're here.
I agree. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't use our common sense and modern medical knowledge to try and keep our body in good shape for as long as we're here. Death is inevitable, but the quality of your life BEFORE you die is something that too many people take for granted.
What's so bad about enjoying food?
Its only bad when you just go too far with it. People that don't make the effort to eat a balanced diet with fresh fruits and vegetables greatly increase their risk of developing serious health problems later on in life.
Like what?
There's a lot of things..like diabetes. Its one of the surging diseases in America today, especially for minorities like Black folks and Hispanics.
I thought you had to be born with that to get it?
Those with Type I diabetes are born with it.
What does it do?
Type I diabetics have a genetic problem where their pancreas doesn't make insulin.
What's insulin?
Insulin is this hormone that is made in the pancreas. When you eat your food and your digestive system breaks it down to a simple sugar to fuel your body, insulin is what allows the sugar to be accepted from the bloodstream into your cells. If the insulin level is too low, these sugars are trapped in the bloodstream and if not addressed, the person can go into a diabetic coma because their body isn't getting the energy it needs.
What does that have to do with the Klumps? If that's something they're born with, you just have to deal with it, right?
Yeah..for those that are born with it, they just have to take insulin shots and watch their diet. But Type I diabetics makeup less than 10% of the diabetic population. Over 90% of the people with diabetes are Type II.
What are Type II's??
Type II diabetics are normally overweight and they don't exercise. Basically, their pancreas can't make enough insulin to handle all of the food that they digest.
Can it kill you?
If left unattended it can. The medical community has known about diabetes mellitus , since 1500 B.C. Diabetes is a Latin based word that means 'siphon' and mellitus is the Greek word for honey or sweet. They called it this because people who had it had to urinate frequently and it had a sweet smell to it due to all of the sugar that was passed through the urine that the body couldn't absorb. People who had it were doomed to die pretty quickly all the way up until the 1920's when they found the proper steps to take for insulin and diet control.
How do the people with Type II diabetes know they have it?
That's the wildest part about it, MOST people who have diabetes, don't even know it yet because their symptoms are mild or non-existent right now.
What are the symptoms?
There's a few things to look out for: Frequent urination, excessive thirst, slow healing of cuts and bruises, blurry eyesight, always being hungry, feeling tired and weak, sudden weight loss, numbness or tingling in feet and hands, etc. The best thing to do, especially for those over 40, overweight or with a family history of diabetes is to get your blood checked for it annually. Those who don't handle up on the situation and just let it go are subject to losing limbs, going blind, heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, impotence in men and even death.
IMPOTENCE??
Yeah mane...your freaking days will be over if you get that diabetes and don't take the proper medical and lifestyle steps to correct it.
I'm not trying to be here and not be able to DO nothing!
Hmph..you think erectile dysfunction is bad, you should check out those people who have to deal with kidney dialysis everyday..its not a fun way to live. Diabetes is the 5th leading cause of death in America and it afflicts over 120 million people worldwide.
Man..I ain't trying to be caught up in THAT loop!!
You'll be alright if you just take good care of yourself lil Hercules. Just remember, french fries are NOT a vegetable!!
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