According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 100 million people in America currently have diabetes or are pre-diabetic.
Let’s learn more about this disease, what you should do if you have it, and how it can be prevented.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes includes three main diseases: type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes.
Anyone can get diabetes. However, each of the three types may affect different groups of people. All three are chronic illnesses that require regular management and medical attention. All three can lead to further health complications and even death if not managed correctly.
What happens in the body when someone has diabetes?
Diabetes involves a problem with how the body uses food for energy. More specifically, it’s an issue with how the body uses a substance called glucose.
Glucose is another word for sugar. It is the main source of energy that the body gets from food.
For most healthy individuals, the food you eat is broken down into glucose by the body. This glucose travels through the bloodstream and provides energy to all of your body’s cells.
This step of breaking down food into glucose is important because glucose is the only form of energy that your body’s cells will accept.
But your cells need one more element to get the energy they need from glucose, and that’s insulin.
What is insulin and why is it important?
Insulin is a hormone.
Hormones are special chemicals that your body makes to perform certain jobs. The job of the hormone insulin is to help the glucose get inside each of your body’s cells. Without insulin, your cells can’t get the energy they need, and glucose is left in the bloodstream.
Normally, insulin is produced in the body naturally by an organ called the pancreas. However, the disease diabetes occurs when there is a problem with how the insulin is produced or how the body responds to insulin. Diabetes can result from any of the following problems:
• Insulin is not produced by the pancreas
• Not enough insulin is produced by the pancreas
• The body doesn’t respond to or use the pancreas’s insulin as well as it should; this is called insulin resistance
When any of these situations occur, it means that too much glucose or sugar remains in the bloodstream. This causes a person to have high blood sugar.
When long-lasting high blood sugar is not taken care of, it can cause serious health conditions, such as:
• Vision loss
• Heart disease
• Kidney disease
• Stomach and intestinal problems
• Nerve damage
What are the three types of diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes: This is actually an autoimmune illness and often begins in childhood. It may be genetic. The body is “attacking” itself and makes the pancreas ineffective at producing insulin.
Type 2 diabetes: Type 2 diabetes is more common than type 1 and is often linked to individuals who are overweight or obese. It usually begins in adulthood; although cases in children and teens are on the rise. The pancreas of type 2 diabetics often produces a little insulin, but it’s not enough. Sometimes, the body becomes insulin resistant.
Gestational diabetes: Some pregnancies can lead to gestational diabetes. Pregnant women may find out they have gestational diabetes in their mid- to late pregnancy. It must be managed to keep both baby and mother safe.
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
Here are some symptoms you may encounter if you are pre-diabetic or have diabetes:
• Frequent urination (having to go to the bathroom a lot)
• Tiredness
• Excess hunger
• Blurry vision
• Weight loss
• Tingling and/or numbness in the feet and hands
• Dry skin
• Slow-heeling cuts and sores
• Sometimes: Nausea, stomach pain, and/or vomiting
How is diabetes treated?
Every case of diabetes is different, so it’s important to see a doctor for the best treatment.
Generally, however, the goal of all diabetes treatment is to control blood sugar levels. This must be done by providing the body with enough insulin and getting the body to respond correctly the insulin. It’s also important to reduce symptoms and complications as much as possible.
All of this can be achieved with a combination of:
• Regular blood sugar monitoring by the patient and their doctors
• Non-insulin medications
• Insulin injections or insulin pumps
• Diet and exercise lifestyle changes
• Weight reduction
Is there a cure for diabetes?
There is no cure for type 1 diabetes, but it can be carefully and healthily managed throughout life.
Gestational diabetes often goes away after pregnancy. But for those mothers who’ve had it, the risk is higher that it may return as type 2 diabetes later in life.
Type 2 diabetes technically cannot be cured. But patients can make it go into remission. For some type 2 diabetics, achieving a healthy weight and making lifestyle changes regarding diet and exercise can “reverse” the disease. This means that medications no longer need to be taken; however, the lifestyle changes must continue to be followed.
How can type 2 diabetes be prevented or “reversed”?
Type 2 diabetes accounts for between 90% and 95% of diabetes cases in the United States. Let’s talk about how type 2 pre-diabetes and those with the disease can prevent or improve their illness through lifestyle changes.
For the most part, these are the three changes you’ll want to make if you haven’t already:
If you’re overweight or obese, work toward a healthy weight. Check your BMI here to see if you are in the “overweight” or “obese” range. If you are, it’s okay — you can improve. Even by losing 5% to 7% of your current body weight, you may be able to reduce diabetic symptoms and/or take less medication.
Exercise. Again, it doesn’t take a lot. Get moving at least 30 minutes a day, five times a week, and it will make a difference in your overall blood sugar levels.
Change your diet. Healthy eating as a diabetic means tracking your food intake, eating healthier foods overall (veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats), steering clear of simple carbs and sugars, and staying within a set calorie and carb limit each day. You don’t have to miss out on your favorite foods on a diabetic diet, but it’s all about balance.
If you are pre-diabetic, taking these actions now can help you prevent ever contracting type 2 diabetes.
If you’ve already been diagnosed, these actions will still help you. You may have to continue managing your condition with testing and medications. But taking these steps can improve symptoms and possible complications, and it may even reduce your need for medications down the line.
Source
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p0718-diabetes-report.html
