November is Diabetes Awareness Month.

Guthrie County Health Services Director Jotham Arber says that awareness about diabetes is important, as it affects many people, with two types of the disease. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio about type one and type two diabetes.

“I think it’s important to understand that diabetes is something that has genetic links. So, familially, if you have parents or grandparents that had diabetes, you’re more predisposed to have diabetes. And our lifestyle also predisposes us to having diabetes. If we’re eating things that we probably shouldn’t be eating and we’re not exercising and we become obese and we just don’t have the immune system and functionality in our system to maintain like it should, a lot of times diabetes can be an issue there.”

Arber mentions that if individuals have that family history of diabetes, it is important for them to have a physician check to make sure that they don’t have it. He adds that another important thing people should do if they do have diabetes, is to make sure which one they have, as each has different treatments.