teachers’ guide 19 diabetes - aboriginal access to ... · here are some suggestions for how you...

Diabetes Teachers’ Guide 1

Diabetesto accompany

Teachers’ Guide 19

Here are some suggestions for how you can work with Worksheet 19,Diabetes.

1. Vocabulary

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3

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5

Alleviate

Biomedical engineer

Bladder

Blurry

Carbohydrate

Census

Circulatory

Cochlear implant

Complex carbohydrate

Complication

Devices

Diabetes mellitus

Digestive

Disorder

Endocrine system

Enzyme

Ethnic

Fast food

Fibre

Fluorescent

Gestational diabetes

Gland

Glucose

Glucose meter/monitor

Gums

Hereditary

Hormones

Imbalance

Impairment

Infection

Injection

Insulin

Intake

Lancet

Legume

Metabolism

Microchip

Minerals

Molecules

Moody

Neuron

Numbness

Nutritional value

Pancreas

Photoreceptor

Physiology

Practitioner

Prevention

Processed food

Proteins

Rebalance

Saturated fat

Secretion

Simple carbohydrate

Siphon

Starch

Sterile

Tattoo

Telemedicine

Tingling

Traditional food

Tuber

Type 1 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes

Under-diagnosed

Utilization

Vitamins


2. Definition

Do your students understand the definition? Can they demonstrate their understanding by using the word

in a sentence?

3. Diabetes Mellitus

People have been suffering from diabetes for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence tells us that

healers all over the world saw and tried to treat the disease. The term Diabetes is actually two Greek words

put together, dia meaning through and betes meaning flowing. Put them together and you get flowing

through which describes the frequent urination of many diabetes sufferers. The term Mellitus, meaning

honey, was added later by Latin-speaking healers who realized that the urine of diabetes-sufferers smelled

and tasted sweet. When blood sugar levels become really high, the only way the body can try to rid itself of

excess glucose is through the kidneys, and so diabetics often produce lots of sweet smelling urine.

On the slightly gross side, one of the original diagnostics tests for diabetes was a urine taste test - if it tasted

sweet the healer could be pretty sure the problem was excess blood sugar.

Sources:

Discovery of Insulin

http://www.discoveryofinsulin.com/Introduction.htm

National Diabetes Outreach

http://diabetesoutreach.com/basics2.html

4. Hormone

The hormone required by people with diabetes is insulin. Insulin is produced by beta cells in the pancreas,

as explained in the worksheet. Drs. Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin as the key

hormone in diabetes at the University of Toronto in 1921. Pharmaceutical production of injectable insulin

began in 1923, significantly extending the lives of people suffering from diabetes.

Banting shared the 1923 Nobel Prize in medicine with JRR Macleod for the discovery of insulin. The

award was quite controversial because it did not acknowledge Best or JD Collip, a biochemist in the

project. Your students can read more about the discovery of insulin at http://www.discoveryofinsulin.com

5. The endocrine system

The endocrine system consists of a number of glands that regulate, coordinate and control key bodily

function through the production of chemicals called hormones. The different glands (pictured in the

worksheet) send over 30 of different hormones functions directly into the blood, where they are transported

around the body. The main glands and the hormones they produce are:

Pineal gland - The pineal gland secretes melatonin> Melatonin affects reproductive development and daily

physiologic cycles.

Pituitary gland - The pituitary gland is the source of human growth hormone, the hormone which controls

how fast and how much we grow. It is also the source of hormones which regulate the work of other glands

in the body.

Thymus - the thymus plays a key role in the development of the body’s lymphatic system and immune

response.


Thyroid gland - The thyroid gland produces and releases hormones involved in growth and control of

metabolism (creation of energy from food and stored fat). The hormone thyroxine determines metabolic

rate, and the amount of thyroxine produces is largely dependent on the intake of iodine. Too much thyroxine

leads to hyperthyroidism and fast metabolism, too little to hypothyroidism and slow metabolism.

Liver - The liver is the largest gland in the body. It plays a role in many bodily functions including growth,

fat digestion, development of bone marrow and clotting agents. It secretes at least 3 key hormones:

Angiotensinogen - which helps to maintain blood pressure; Thrombopoietin - which contributes to the

development of blood clotting platelets; and a growth hormone.

Pancreas - As described in the worksheet, the pancreas secretes insulin.

Spleen - The spleen produces hormones for fighting infection and filtering foreign the blood.

Adrenal glands - The adrenal glands (there are two of them) secrete about 30 different hormones. These

hormones help regulate a number of functions including digestion, the body’s salt/water balance,

inflammation and allergic responses. The adrenal glands also secrete the hormone epinephrine (also called

adrenaline) which increase the body’s abilities to function in an emergency or high stress situation.

Prostate - The prostate produces hormones which contribute to male fertility.

Testes/Ovaries - The testes and ovaries produce hormones instrumental in sexual development and

Sources:

Fact Monster

http://www.factmonster.com

Hormones of the Liver

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/L/LiverHormones.html

Yucky Kids

http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/flash/body/pg000133.html

6. Glucose

Glucose is not just the source of energy for humans (and other animals),

it is the source of energy for most plants. Plants produce glucose through

a process called photosynthesis. In photosynthesis, water, carbon

dioxide react in the presence of sunlight to produce oxygen and glucose.

7. Sources of simple carbohydrates

There are many sources for simple carbohydrates. A few are listed

below.

Dextrose, C6H

12O

6 - a naturally occurring form of glucose found in

grapes and corn

Sucrose, C12

H22

O11

- ordinary table sugar usually obtained from sugar

cane or sugar beets

Fructose, C6H

12O

6 - sugar found in fruits and honey

Maltose, C12

H22

O11

- sugar from grains such as barley

Lactose, C12

H22

O11

- sugar from milk products

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You’ll notice these sugars either have the same chemical designation as glucose (and are called

monosaccharides) or as 2 glucose minus a water molecule (and are called disaccharides). The difference

between the different mono and di-saccharides is the source, and the way in which individual atoms are

joined together within the molecules. For example, both glucose and fructose are monosaccharides, C6H

12O

6,

but the atoms within each molecules are joined together differently as shown below.

Glucose Fructose

8. Starch sources

The starch sources in traditional foods will vary based on geographical location, but will likely come from

one or more of the following plant sources:

Tubers

Fruit

Seeds

Nuts

Cereals

Legumes

Vegetables


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9. Breaking down carbohydrates

As explained in the text of the worksheet, simple carbohydrates break

down in the body much more easily (and quicker) because they have

fewer molecules.

Activity - The knotty carbohydrate

You need:

Several pieces of reasonably heavy rope of the same length

Stop watches or timers

Pen and paper for recording results

Preparation:

Tie knots in the rope, some ropes should have only one or two knots,

other ropes should have 10-12 knots

Activity:

The idea is to demonstrate why it takes the body longer to break down

complex carbohydrates than simple carbohydrates.

Tell the class that each piece of rope is a carbohydrate the body is trying to break down. When broken

down, each rope represents the same amount of glucose. Each knot in the rope is a molecule that needs to

be converted into glucose. The carbohydrate will be completely broken down to glucose when all the knots

in it are untied.

Divide the students into teams. Each team should receive a timer and several pieces of rope - some with

just a few knots, others with many knots. The students should time how long it takes to break down each

carbohydrate (untie all the knots in a piece of rope), and record their results. Students can graph their

results as a group, or as a class.

Questions

What did you observe about the time it takes to break down a simple carbohydrate versus a complex

carbohydrate?

Given what you observed, what will cause blood sugar levels to rise quicker - simple carbohydrates or

complex carbohydrates?

10. Blood sugar levels vs. time

The graphs your students develop from

the above activity should look similar

to the first slopes on the graph on page

4 of the worksheet, much like the graph

to the left.

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11. Type 2 diabetes

For more information regarding Type 2 diabetes see:

National Aboriginal Diabetes Association

http://www.nada.ca/

Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fnihb/cp/adi/

The Healing Trail

http://www.diabeteshealingtrail.ca

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami - Diabetes page

http://www.itk.ca/english/itk/departments/health/diabetes/adip.htm

Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Program

http://www.ksdpp.org/

12. Prevalence of diabetes

A number of ethnic groups have increased risk of diabetes. If your

students are interested they could conduct research into the various

theories regarding increased incidence of Type 2 diabetes in Aboriginal peoples, African Canadians and

Hispanic peoples.

The World Health Organization has comparative data on rates in different countries at http://www.who.int/

ncd/dia/databases.htm.

13. Diabetes in Aboriginal peoples

Diabetes is a complex disease, and while no one is 100% sure why there is a significantly higher rate of

Type 2 diabetes in Aboriginal people than in the general population, we can make some good guesses.

Because Type 2 diabetes can be avoided and largely controlled by changes in life style - increasing exercise

and improving diet - it is likely that it is at least partially caused by changes in life style. For Aboringal

peoples in Canada and the Untied States, these changes have happened in a fairly short period of time.

People participate in fewer traditional acticities and lead more sedentary lifestyles. They eat fewer traditional

foods, and more comercially produced foods with higher fat content and often less nutritional value. World

wide statistics indicate that the incidence of Type 2 is on the rise for just about all groups of people, but that

it is rising faster among indigenous populations. The evidence clearly suggests a strong link between

exercise levels, diet and diabetes which is why medicinal practitioners encourage everyone to eat well and

exercise on a regular basis.

14. Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes

You can’t do anything about your race, family history or age. On the other hand, you can make choices that

affect both your weight and level of physical activity. As a general rule, being active and maintaining a

healthy weight go a long way in helping to prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes.

15. Activity of parents and grandparents

Students could be asked to talk to their older family members regarding activities they took part in as

children and teenagers. Students could then share the responses with the class. If there are activities with

which they are unfamiliar, perhaps a parent, grandparent or Elder could come to the class to teach students

more.

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16. Traditional foods

For more information on traditional foods go to

CINE - McGill University

http://www.cine.mcgill.ca/TF/

ITK- Nutritional information

http://www.tapirisat.ca/english_text/itk/departments/enviro/ncp/

nutrition.htm

Traditional Food

http://www.kstrom.net/isk/food/foodmenu.html

17. Signs and symptoms of Type 2 diabetes

Because many people with Type 2 diabetes do not realize they are

suffering from a potentially life threatening disease, it is important to

emphasize the need to for a visit to a health care worker if students

exhibit symptoms.

18. Total carbohydrate intake

It is important to monitor total carbohydrate intake because all

carbohydrates break down into sugars and increase blood sugar

levels.

19. Diabetes and engineering

This question is an exercise in creative thinking. A number of

potential technologies appear in the worksheet. What can your

students come up with?


Solutions

Sometimes the key to getting students to understand how math can be

useful is to get them thinking about completely different things. They

can use the results of their math work on these problems to design

posters about diabetes.

Problem 1. Percentage, arithmetic.

I. What are we trying to determine?

We are trying to figure out the number of non-Aboriginal people living in Canada who likely have Type 2

diabetes.

II. What do we know?

We know:

• The total number of people in Canada, according to the 2001 Census, is 29,639,035.

• 4% of the population is Aboriginal.

• About 4.3% of non-Aboriginal people get Type 2 diabetes.

III. Determine the number of non-Aboriginal people in Canada.

# of non-Aboriginal people = Total # of people - number of Aboriginal people

= Total # people - 4%( Total # people)

= 29,639,035 - 0.04(29,639,035)

= 29,639,035 - 1,185,561

= 28,453,474

IV. Determine the number of non-Aboriginal people with Type 2 Diabetes

# non-Aboriginal people with Type 2 diabetes = # non-Aboriginal people x % non-Aboriginal people w/Type 2

= 28,453,474 x 0.043

= 1,222,499

AnswerThere are 1,222,499 non-Aboriginal people in Canada with Type 2 diabetes.


Problem 2. Percentage, arithmetic.


We are trying to figure out the number of Aboriginal people living in Canada who likely have Type 2 diabetes.


We know:

• The total number of people in Canada, according to the 2001 Census, is 29,639,035.

• 4% of the population is Aboriginal.

• Aboriginal people get diabetes 3-5 times more often than non-Aboriginal people.

III. Determine the number of Aboriginal people in Canada.

We actually already determined this number in step III of Problem 1.

# of Aboriginal people = Percentage of Aboriginal people x Total # of people

= 4%( Total # people)

= 0.04(29,639,035)

= 1,185,561

IV. Determine the percentage of Aboriginal people with Type 2 diabetes.

Aboriginal people get Type 2 diabetes 3 to 5 times more often than non-Aboriginal people. This variation

actually depends on age, whether a person is First Nations, Inuit or Métis, and the place in which they live, but

we will assume that it applies across all ages for the sake of problem solving. The answer for this problem will

actually be a range.

In order to determine the range, we have to figure out the percentage of Aboriginal people who have Type 2

diabetes for both the lower (3 times the non-Aboriginal population) and upper (3 times the non-Aboriginal

population) limits of the range.

For the lower limit:

% of Aboriginal people with Type 2 diabetes = 3 x % of non-Aboriginal people with Type 2 diabetes

= 3 x 4.3%

= 12.9%

For the upper limit:

% of Aboriginal people with Type 2 diabetes = 5 x % of non-Aboriginal people with Type 2 diabetes

= 5 x 4.3%

= 21.5%

V. Determine the upper and lower limits for the number of Aboriginal people with Type 2 Diabetes

For the lower limit

# Aboriginal people with Type 2 diabetes= # Aboriginal people x lower limit % Aboriginal people with Type 2

= 1,185,561 x .129

= 152,937


For the upper limit

# Aboriginal people with Type 2 diabetes = # Aboriginal people x upper limit % Aboriginal people with Type 2

= 1,185,561 x ..215

= 254,960

AnswerThere are between 152,937 and 254,960 Aboriginal people

in Canada with Type 2 diabetes.

Problem 3.


We are trying to figure out how many people in your communtiy probably have Type 2 diabetes.


We know:

• The percentage of Aboriginal people who get diabetes ranges from 12.9% to 21.5% (from Problem 2)

• There are 1427 people in your community.

III. Determine the upper and lower limits for the number of people in your community who likely have Type 2

Diabetes

For the lower limit

# people with Type 2 diabetes = # people in the community x lower limit % Aboriginal people with Type 2

= 1427 x .129

= 184

For the upper limit

# people with Type 2 diabetes = # people in the community x upper limit % Aboriginal people with Type 2

= 1427 x .215

= 307

Answer:There are probably between 184 and 307 people in your community

living with Type 2 diabetes.


Notes


ISSN 1494-4960

Notes

teachers’ guide 19 diabetes - aboriginal access to ... · here are some suggestions for how you...

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