Discussing Diabetes

Mike is at his friend George’s house. They are talking about George’s health condition which

is diabetes…

Mike: What’s that George?

George: It’s my glucose meter. I’m diabetic so I always keep it with me to monitor the

amount of glucose in my blood throughout the day.

Mike: Ah, I’ve heard of diabetes before, but I really don’t know much about it...

George: OK - let me explain! Most of the functions of the human body are controlled by

hormones. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, controls the amount of sugar in our

blood which is used by the body to generate energy. Insufficient production of insulin leads

to diabetes.

Mike: Ah, I see. I also heard that you can’t eat sugar – is that true?

George: Well, not exactly. Most foods contain sugar, either natural sugar or added sugar. But

I have to try and avoid foods like sweets, chocolate, cakes and biscuits because they contain

very high amounts of sugar and fat. Although, having diabetes doesn’t mean I have to give up

all of my favourite foods - I just have to try and maintain a well-balanced and healthy diet. I

can have foods which contain some sugar but not too much of course.

Mike: And what about drinks?

George: Well, I’ve got used to drinking diet drinks because they don’t contain sugar. Using

an artificial sweetener instead of sugar also helps a great deal with drinks. I carry my

sweetener with me all the time.

Mike: Speaking of drinks, I’m thirsty! Why don’t we go and get ourselves something to

drink? A diet drink of course!

George: Sounds good!