The secret to preventing diabetes

If diabetes were an infectious disease it would be deemed an epidemic. The incurable disease that affects almost 350 million people worldwide. While it can mostly be successfully managed today, it can over time cause complications like organ damage or blindness. The only cure is to avoid developing diabetes altogether. Fortunately, there are things you can do to prevent it.

What is diabetes?

When you eat, most of the carbohydrates you digest turn into a simple sugar called glucose. All the cells in the human body need glucose for energy. After you eat and digest the food, the glucose is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and transported to the cells. That’s why the body has an intricate system designed to regulate the glucose-levels in the blood.

When the glucose-levels rise, the pancreas, a gland located below the stomach, releases a hormone called insulin. Insulin is what tells the cells to start absorbing the glucose they need for energy, instead of it just letting it float around in the bloodstream. Insulin is very important, and when complications arise with the insulin production or response you develop diabetes.

There are two types of diabetes and both are linked to insulin.

1. Type 1 diabetes is when the immune system destroys the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Type 1 diabetes roughly accounts for 5–10% of all diabetes cases and is not preventable.
2. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form, which takes years to develop. Type 2 diabetes is when the body’s cells stop responding to insulin and don’t absorb glucose from the blood. The pancreas then responds by producing more insulin, eventually causing its insulin producing cells to exhaust and fail.

Symptoms of diabetes include:

• Excessive urination
• Constant hunger
• Thirst
• Weight loss
• Changes in vision
• General fatigue
• Poor healing cuts and/or bruises
• Nausea
• Dry, itchy skin
• Loss of feelings in hands or feet

Who gets diabetes?

Diabetes can affect all people. But there are some risk factors that are worth considering, especially concerning diabetes type 2.

For type 1 diabetes, the risk factors include:

• Genetics
• Injury or disease in the pancreas

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include:

• Obesity
• Ethnic background
• High blood pressure
• Inactive lifestyle
• Genetics
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Age — around 90% of all people with diabetes type 2 are over 40 years old

Treatment and prevention

Today, both types of diabetes can be successfully treated by mainly focusing on lowering the blood glucose levels. And while type 1 diabetes is not preventable, type 2 is.

Many millions of adults have what’s known as ‘pre-diabetes’. Pre-diabetes is when a person is on the way to developing diabetes type 2. If you are pre-diabetic or not can be determined by a simple blood-test. Even if you have pre-diabetes, it is possible to reverse the effects and hinder the development into diabetes type 2.

Through a few simple steps, 9/10 cases of diabetes type 2 are actually avoidable:

• Be physically active
  By adding at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise, such as walking, on most days of the week you reduce the risk of diabetes. And don’t watch too much television. Watching TV seems to be an especially nasty culprit when it comes to causing a sedentary lifestyle. Every two hours you spend watching TV instead of doing something more active increases your risk of developing diabetes by 20%. The more TV people watch, the more likely they are to be overweight, which may partly explain the diabetes-TV watching link. That’s why it’s important to…
• Keep your weight in check
  Obesity and and being overweight are big risk factors when it comes to developing diabetes. You can keep your weight in check by regular exercise and by watching your diet.
• Eat healthy

1. Choose whole grain products instead of highly processed carbohydrates. Products like white bread, mashed potatoes and white rice have what’s known as a high glycemic index. This means that they cause spikes in the blood sugar, which can stress the body’s insulin-production. If you choose whole grain products instead, it can decrease the risk of developing diabetes by causing less of an insulin response.
2. Eat more poultry, nuts and and fish and limit red meat. Eating just one serving of red meat per day can increase the risk of diabetes by 20%.
3. Cut down on sugary drinks that decrease good cholesterol
4. Avoid trans fats and instead eat more polyunsaturated fats found in liquid vegetable oils, nuts and seeds.

• Quit smoking
  Smokers are roughly 50% more likely to get diabetes than non-smokers. Here’s how you quit.
• Some alcohol might actually help
  There are some studies which indicate that a moderate amount of alcohol can help in reducing the risk of diabetes. A moderate amount means up to one drink per day for women and up to two for men.

If you don’t drink alcohol already there’s no need to start. Following the above factors is surely enough to reduce the risk of diabetes and increase your well being. And if you have any concerns or questions regarding diabetes, get in touch with any of RingMD’s top physicians and let them help you. Today.