By Mountain-Pacific Quality Health
November 22, 2022
Diabetes is a disease that affects more than 37 million Americans, and is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Diabetes is also the number one cause of kidney failure, adult blindness and lower-limb amputations. But despite the impact diabetes has on the health of so many Americans, many people don’t know what it is or how it affects us.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes affects how the body turns food into energy. Most of the food we eat is converted into sugar and goes into our bloodstream. This causes our blood sugar level to go up, letting the pancreas know to release insulin. Insulin allows sugar in the blood to be turned into energy for the body.
There are three main types of diabetes, type 1 diabetes, which causes the body to be unable to produce insulin, and type 2 diabetes, where the body does produce insulin but it’s unable to use it effectively, preventing the sugar in the blood form being turned in to energy, and instead stays in the blood stream. Without treatment, this buildup of sugar in the blood stream can lead to kidney disease, vision loss, blood vessel disease and heart disease.
The third type of diabetes is gestational (diabetes while pregnant). Gestational diabetes can arise during pregnancy with women who have never had diabetes, and it usually does not have any symptoms. It is normally a temporary condition that ends once the child has been born. However, about 50% of women with gestational diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.
Additionally, more than one in three Americans have prediabetes. Prediabetes is where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Without lifestyle changes, it is possible for prediabetes to progress to type 2 diabetes and puts you at an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Recognizing the Signs
Diabetes symptoms depend on how high your blood sugar is. However, there are several symptoms that could indicate diabetes including:
- Feeling very thirsty
- Urinating more often than usual
- Losing weight without trying, despite being very hungry
- Blurry vision
- Feeling tired and weak
- Numbness or tingling in hands or feet
- Very dry skin or sores that heal slowly
If you notice any of these symptoms, see your primary care provider about getting your blood sugar tested.
Risk Factors
Type 1 diabetes represents 5-10% of all diabetes cases. While the disease can appear at any age, it most often arises in children, teenagers and young adults. Although the cause is not fully known, it is thought to be a genetic disorder where the body attacks itself. Risk factors include having a parent or sibling with type 1 diabetes, or being a child, teenager or young adult. There is currently no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common form of diabetes, accounting for 90-95% of all cases. As with type 1 diabetes, the cause is not fully known, but you are at risk if you have prediabetes, are overweight, 45 years or older or have a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes. Other risk factors are having gestational diabetes at any point or having non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed with a healthy diet and regular physical activity.
How to Combat Prediabetes
96 million Americans, more than one in three adults, have prediabetes, and eight out of 10 of those don’t know they have it. You are at risk of prediabetes if you are overweight, 45 years or older or have a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes. Your risk also increases if you are physically active less than three times a week or if you have had gestational diabetes.
The good news is that prediabetes can be reversed. Taking steps to improve your health will help lower your blood sugar, reducing your chances of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Improving your diet and getting regular exercise are not only two of the best ways to lower your risk, but will also help you to lose weight and further reduce your risk if you are overweight.
If you feel you are at risk of developing prediabetes or type 2 diabetes or have already been diagnosed and are looking to make healthy lifestyle changes, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recognized lifestyle change program can help you make permanent lifestyle changes to delay or prevent the onset of this chronic disease.
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