In this post, we will share the basics about the 7th leading cause of death in the US, Diabetes. You will understand how your body uses food for energy, the various types of diabetes, the risk factors, and what you can do to reduce your risk and better manage this disease if you already have it.
Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that affects how the body uses food and breaks it down into energy. Much of the food we consume is turned into sugar and released into the bloodstream. The sugar from the food we eat is called blood sugar or glucose.
Insulin, a vital hormone we cannot live without, is made in the pancreas and is a crucial part of the process which enables this energy (blood sugar) to be used by the body. When blood sugar is present, the pancreas releases insulin into the bloodstream, which then acts like a key to let the blood sugar enter the body’s cells to be used for energy.
When a person has diabetes, they either cannot make insulin or cannot use the insulin they make as well as they should. When cells stop responding to insulin, this is called insulin resistance. Over time, this can harm the body and cause serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke, vision loss, kidney disease, and lower extremity amputation from vascular disease.
The number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has tripled in the last 20 years as the population has aged and become more overweight. Although these statistics are very alarming, there is much you can do to reduce your risk of developing this devastating yet preventable disease.
You can significantly reduce the risk of developing diabetes or lessen its damaging impact with healthy lifestyle habits, practicing the ‘pills and skills’ model if already taking medication, getting diabetes management education, and maintaining regular appointments with your wellness team.
How insulin works in healthy people.
Although this glucose-insulin dance is a complicated biological process, here are the basics of how it works correctly.
Once any food is eaten, it is broken down into glucose (energy) which enters the bloodstream. When glucose is present in the blood, the pancreas is signaled to release the hormone insulin, whose job is to escort glucose into cells for energy. The same insulin also signals the liver to store some of the insulin for later use – like when you forget to eat for long periods.
Lower insulin levels due to not eating will alert the liver to release stored glucose, so energy is always available for the body to function.
What happens when you have diabetes?
When you have diabetes, this process doesn’t work smoothly and gets out of balance. When the bloodstream is overloaded with glucose, the pancreas pumps more insulin to get all that glucose into the cells. When this system is constantly being overloaded and continues over time, cells stop responding to all that insulin and become resistant.
The pancreas keeps pumping out more and more insulin as it tries to get the cells to react, but it can’t keep up with the demand, and glucose continues to rise in the bloodstream. All of this glucose in the bloodstream begins to damage the body, and because the body wants to be healthy, it wants to eliminate the excess glucose as quickly as possible.
In response, insulin will tell the liver and muscle to store as much glucose as it can for later, but if there is more glucose than the liver and muscles can handle, the liver will send what’s left to be stored into fat cells. This extra glucose is then stored in fat cells, resulting in weight gain and obesity. This persistent reaction of too much glucose flooding the bloodstream, and the body’s inability to keep up, sets the stage for developing type 2 diabetes (which is different from type 1 diabetes).
What types of diabetes are there?
Prediabetes means you have an elevated blood sugar level but not high enough to be type 2. Approximately 84 million adults in America (1 out of 3) have been diagnosed with prediabetes.
Many people have no symptoms, which is why 90% of those diagnosed with prediabetes don't know they have it. If you have prediabetes, you are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or stroke unless you take action to reduce the risk.
If you have been diagnosed with prediabetes or feel at risk, it’s a great time to work with a health coach and practice healthy lifestyle skills to prevent type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes (AKA insulin-dependent or juvenile-onset) is an autoimmune disease typically diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults but can develop at any age. Only 5% of people with diabetes have this type of diabetes (less common). Risk factors are not as clear regarding type 1 diabetes as type 2 diabetes, and no one knows how to prevent it. However, the same healthy lifestyle practices can help manage diabetes in type 1 diabetics.
Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95% of all diagnosed cases and can be prevented or delayed with healthy lifestyle practices.
Most alarming is that type 2 diabetes rates are rising in children and coincide with the rising rates of childhood obesity. More than 75% of children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have a close relative with type 2 diabetes. This prevalence is not inherited but due to shared lifestyle habits passed down from one generation to the next. A family plan to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes in children includes drinking more water and less sugary drinks (juice/soda), eating more fruits and vegetables, making favorite meals healthier (less fat and sugar), and more fun physical activity.
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that only pregnant women will have; it typically disappears after childbirth. This type of diabetes affects 2- 10% of all pregnancies, and your health care provider or a health coach can support you with healthy lifestyle practices if you are at risk.
Risk Factors:
Although you may not feel anything is happening to your body, here are some risk factors you should be aware of that could put you at risk of developing diabetes. The risk factors for prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes are:
Having a family history of type 2 diabetes
Being overweight (especially around the waist)
Eating an unhealthy (overly processed) diet
Being physically inactive
Being over 45 years of age
Having gestational diabetes while pregnant or giving birth to a child over 9 pounds
Having polycystic ovary syndrome
Being a part of one of these ethnicities: ( African American, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and some Asian Americans)
Although diabetes can go undetected, there are symptoms associated with diabetes you should be aware of. These typical symptoms include:
Frequent urination
Excessive thirst
Unexplained weight loss
Severe hunger
Vision changes
Tingling/numbness in hands/feet
Extreme lethargy
Dehydrated (very dry) skin
Slow healing of sores or cuts
Increased infection rates
If you have been experiencing the signs and symptoms above, you can contact your medical provider for advice and possible testing. There are a variety of tests your medical provider can complete to determine if you have diabetes. Typical signs of insulin resistance are:
high glucose levels
high triglycerides (type of blood fat)
high LDL “bad/sticky” cholesterol
low HDL “good/scrubbing” cholesterol
Healthy lifestyle practices to reduce your risk:
The good news is that prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes are also preventable chronic diseases. Evidence proves that healthy lifestyle choices can prevent or help manage diabetes and prolong life.
What lifestyle changes can reduce your risk of developing diabetes and/or manage the disease better?
Being physically active helps increase insulin sensitivity.
Increase physical activity and structured exercise – start with a minimum of 150 minutes per week (30 min 5x/wk.) – consistency is more important than volume.
Avoiding high blood sugar by choosing a healthy “real food’ diet
Eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats (fish and chicken), and healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, and nuts)
Eat less sugar – deserts, high sugar beverages (juices, sodas, and coffee), and baked goods
Limit foods high in saturated and trans-fats (fatty meats, fried foods, high-fat dairy, and non-dairy creamers, candy and deserts, creamy and fatty salad dressings)
Eat smaller portions
Losing weight (even 5 – 7 % of body weight can make a big difference) and maintaining a healthy body weight for your body type
Reducing and managing stress
Ensuring that you get adequate sleep
Conclusion:
Diabetes is a devastating and potentially deadly disease affecting more than 37.3 million (1 in 10) people in the US, and rates are rising in adults and children worldwide. Much of this alarming rise in rates is due to an aging population and consistently increasing rates of obesity in adults and children. The good news is that 70% of living disease-fee, including diabetes, are found through the personal choice of healthy living.
Working with a health coach can help you manage a healthy weight and reduce your risk of developing pre- or type 2 diabetes. Your health coach can help you to create a consistent movement plan, practice a regular diet full of natural food choices, reduce stress, and ensure adequate quality and quantity of sleep that will add more high-quality life to your years.
If you are at risk of developing diabetes and want to determine if working with a health coach is the right choice, book a complimentary 30-minute discovery session with Melissa to get all your questions answered.
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