[Faculty of Health and Nutrition] Student volunteers participated in the fall event for the Type 1 Diabetes Patient Association

Seven third-year students from Faculty of Health and Nutrition participated in an autumn event hosted by the Type 1 Diabetes Patient Association, held at Hirakata Park in late September.

Type 1 diabetes is a disease in which autoimmunity is involved, and the function of the pancreatic islet beta cells, which secrete insulin, the only hormone that lowers blood sugar levels, is significantly reduced due to the destruction of these cells. The peak age of onset is said to be 10 years old, and currently, in most cases, it is essential to start insulin replacement therapy at the time of onset in order to maintain life. Recently, it has been decided to start clinical trials in Japan regarding the transplantation of islet cells derived from iPS cells.

The patient group holds events several times a year to enable children with the disease and their siblings of a similar age to build lifelong friendships, and to enable caregivers to share and resolve their concerns.
This time, separate roundtable discussions were held for the fathers' group and the mothers' group, and the accompanying teacher, Lecturer Komatsu from Faculty of Health and Nutrition, also participated, answering questions mainly from the mothers' group (examples of snacks that don't raise blood sugar levels, the effects of sweeteners on the body, etc.).

During this time, the children were split into four groups and, led by students from Faculty of Health and Nutrition they explored the park and attempted a mystery-solving game.
During their tour of the park, the student leaders paid close attention to any signs of hypoglycemia among the children and deepened their interactions with them while observing blood sugar management in action (blood sugar testing and supplementary foods to raise blood sugar levels in the event of hypoglycemia).

(Source: Faculty of Health and Nutrition)