Did you see the blue lights on monuments around the world Saturday night? I didn't either. I did see pictures, however, of the Ferry Building in San Francisco and the Empire State Building in New York illuminated in blue. All this was to commemorate World Diabetes Day, a project of the International Diabetes Foundation. Blue, according to organizers, is the color of the sky that unites all nations a reminder that diabetes is now a pandemic around the world. And blue lights put the spotlight on our need to learn about and prevent this serious disease.

Let's see what we know, according to the IDF:

1. Diabetes is diagnosed: a) when you eat too much pumpkin pie; b) with a blood test that shows abnormal amounts of glucose (sugar) in the blood; c) in more than 250 million people worldwide. Answers: b and c.

2. Being tired with excessive hunger and thirst and weight loss are: a) life as we know it; b) warning signs of type 1 diabetes; c) possible symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Answer b, c.

3. Type 1 diabetes: a) is caused when the body destroys its own insulin-producing cells in the pancreas; b) is most commonly diagnosed in young people; c) requires frequent doses of insulin for survival. All are correct.

4. People with type 2 diabetes: a) produce insulin but are "resistant" to it; b) are commonly overweight; c) represent 90 percent of diabetes in the world. All are correct.

5. People with diabetes are prone to: a) a very sweet personality; b) nerve and organ damage if blood sugars are not controlled; c) heart disease. Answer: b, c.

6. The theme of World Diabetes Day this year is: a) Don't Deny Diabetes; b) Diabetes Education and Prevention; c) Pour me Another Glass of Sugar free Tea. Answer: b.

7. Ongoing, high quality diabetes education is extremely important because people with diabetes: a) provide 95percent of their own care; b) need to know the nutritional content of eggnog; c) can avoid life-threatening complications when they make informed decisions day to day. All may be correct.

8. Health professionals trained to educate people about diabetes are called CDEs, which stands for: a) Carefully Determined Engineers; b) Certified Diabetes Educators; c) Consider Dessert Eliminated. Answer: b 9. Gestational diabetes is: a) diagnosed during pregnancy; b) a condition in about 4 of every 100 pregnancies; c) a serious condition with lifelong consequences for mother and baby if not carefully controlled. All are correct.

10. The serious health and financial consequences of diabetes: a) are nothing to sneeze at; b) can be prevented or delayed with simple lifestyle changes; c) will not go away if we ignore it. All are correct.

11. Find more information about diabetes and World Diabetes Day at: a) your local supermarket; b) your local community hospital; c) www.worlddiabetesday.org. Answer: b and c.

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(Barbara Quinn is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. E-mail her at bquinn@chomp.org.)

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