Lila Sexton, a nurse and the patient/family educator at Sumter Regional Hospital East (SRH), said medical research has proved more and more that diabetes has some genetic link.

She said, despite this fact, a person can delay the grip of the disease through healthy eating habits and regular exercise.

She said diabetes is not a death sentence, and those inflicted with the disease can live active, fulfilling and fruitful lives as long as they properly monitor their blood sugar.

Frequent urination at night and lethargy are two of the main symptoms of diabetes. Sexton said diabetics alternatively suffer from high and low blood sugar.

She said everyone, diabetic or not, should practice healthy eating habits. She encourages everyone to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and a serving of meat should be about the size of a person’s palm, preferably only two servings of meat daily.

“I think when a person eats better, they feel better,” she said.

A recommend serving of a piece fruit should be about the size of a tennis ball. She said some families have passed on unhealthy eating habits from generation to generation out of pure naivety, but today there is plenty of information that is readily available about healthy eating habits.

Sexton said animal fat, from eating too much meat, clogs up the arteries. A person can’t continue to eat foods cooked in grease just because that is the way their parents cooked things.

“You might love the way your mother cooked, but it could also kill you,” she said.

Sexton said SRH has a top-notch health and nutrition program for those who have been diagnosed with diabetes.

The Times-Recorder had the opportunity Wednesday to talk to a 55-year-old African-American woman, who asked to remain anonymous, and was diagnosed with type II diabetes about 10 years ago.

She said it costs her about $150 per month to monitor and treat her diabetes and she has completed the SRH health and nutrition program for diabetics.

She didn't hesitate to explain that the program was very helpful, and portion control at the dinner table is one of the things the program stresses.

She said she wasn't totally shocked when she was diagnosed with diabetes because she had battled weight issues most of her life and the disease is prevalent on her father's side on the family.