News and Public Affairs

Blood Sugar Rising

Blood Sugar Rising follows the diabetes epidemic in the U.S. Diabetes and pre-diabetes affect over 100 million people in the US, costing more than $325 billion each year. Blood Sugar Rising puts human faces to these statistics, exploring the history and science of the illness through portraits of Americans whose stories shape the film.

Monteil - San Francisco, CA

7m 18s

A talented rapper still trying for his big breakthrough, Monteil Lee was diagnosed with Type 2 eight years ago. Now 36 years old, he has a diabetes-related wound on his foot that may mean amputation, and he is trying hard to avoid surgery. Monteil’s story is part of Blood Sugar Rising, a PBS special from WGBH about the diabetes epidemic in the United States.

Extras + Features

  • Diabetes in Our Communities: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Diabetes in Our Communities

    3m

    This clip from the PBS special, Blood Sugar Rising, makes the case that the environments that we live in are structured to create inequity. Rural areas, indigenous communities, and other lower income communities, have a higher prevalence of diabetes (and other diseases) because of the lack of access to healthy foods.

  • The Bigger Picture Project: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Bigger Picture Project

    3m 36s

    The Bigger Picture Project is a collaboration between Dr. Dean Schillinger and Youth Speaks, youth of color who use poetry to tell the story of the bigger picture behind the diabetes epidemic. Workshops with youth are based around poetry, and topics such as health and food accessibility. Blood Sugar Rising is a PBS special from WGBH, about the diabetes epidemic in the United States.

  • What Is Diabetes?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What Is Diabetes?

    1m 58s

    Blood Sugar Rising is a PBS special from WGBH, about the diabetes epidemic in the United States. This clip explains the disease, and how it affects the body, outlining the important role played by the hormone insulin, as well as the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

  • Watching Carbs: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Watching Carbs

    2m 9s

    One thing that people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes have in common, is the need to watch their carbohydrate intake. Learning how to read food labels when grocery shopping is a powerful tool for diabetics trying to manage their disease. This is a clip from Blood Sugar Rising, a PBS special from WGBH about the diabetes epidemic in the United States.

  • Revolutionizing Diabetes Care: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Revolutionizing Diabetes Care

    3m 12s

    This clip, from the PBS special Blood Sugar Rising, outlines the amazing breakthroughs in diabetes-related technology in the last 5 decades. From the glucose meter in the early 1980s, to Ed Damiano’s bionic pancreas, these are medical advances that are crucial to managing the disease and saving countless lives.

  • Diabetes on the Rise: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Diabetes on the Rise

    1m 56s

    In the United States, it's estimated that 100 million people are affected by a blood sugar problem. Watch this clip from Blood Sugar Rising, a PBS special from WGBH, and learn about the alarming increase in this country of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

  • Sugar and the Average American: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Sugar and the Average American

    2m

    Today, the average American has access to unlimited calories, which was not the case, even a few hundred years ago. How much sugar does the average American eat, and how are we being affected by the rapidly changing environments that we live in? Watch this clip from Blood Sugar Rising, a PBS special from WGBH, and find out.

  • The Cost of Insulin: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Cost of Insulin

    2m 48s

    In the past few decades insulin prices have skyrocketed. Watch this clip, from the PBS special Blood Sugar Rising, to find out more about how the prices for insulin are set, the finger-pointing taking place between the manufacturers and pharmacy benefits managers, and how those with no insurance must pay the price.

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