Diabetes Type 2 How To Avoid It
Type 2 diabetes is a problem with your body that causes blood glucose (sugar) levels to rise higher than normal. This is also called hyperglycemia. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes.
Our body needs sugar for energy – for cell reproduction and function. Sugar needs to be at an optimum level within the cells – too much or too little will cause problems. The amount of sugar in the cells is controlled by insulin secretion.
Insulin is secreted by the pancreas – if the cells in the body have enough insulin then the liver is signaled to take up glucose from the blood and store it – this it does in the form of glycogen. Muscle and fat cells also take up excess glucose from the blood.
If you have type 2 diabetes your body does not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. At first, your pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it. But, over time it isn’t able to keep up and can’t make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose at normal levels and therefore you develop hyperglycaemia or type 2 diabetes.
How might you feel if you have type 2 diabetes?
You might have increased thirst and want to pass urine a lot more than usual. You might experience sudden weight loss of 10- 20 lbs over 2 – 3 months. You may have a dry mouth, fatigue, blurred vision and headaches.
You can prevent developing type 2 diabetes. Taking small steps, such as eating less and moving more to lose weight, can help you prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and related health problems. Research has shown that even if you are at high risk of developing the disease, you can prevent or delay its onset just by a bit of effort.
Why you might be at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes
- If you are overweight.
- If you are inactive for a significant time every day
- If you have pre diabetes.
You can prevent developing type 2 diabetes by losing weight and being more active – easy, right?!
Of course not – but diabetes affects your whole body adversely– you need to control it if at all possible – and understanding how diabetes can affect your body if you think it is too difficult to change your eating habits or activity may encourage you to make the changes necessary to prevent it.
If you do not treat diabetes the effects can be wide ranging as diabetes affect blood vessels and nerves and can therefore affect any part of the body. Diabetes and heart disease are closely related as high blood pressure develops, which can also lead to strokes. The blood vessels in the back of the eyes can swell and leak and cause blindness. You can develop difficulties digesting food, experience sexual dysfunction and wounds will not heal as well as usual. The kidneys can be damaged over the years and you can develop numbness and tingling of the hands or feet, excessive sweating and nausea, constipation or diarrhea.
All these things can be prevented by making some changes to your lifestyle – that is great news! Just eat more veg, whole grains, high fibre, yoghurt, eggs, lean meat, some fat – you know – healthy stuff! Avoid anything in a packet and you will probably be fine!
But why wait until you are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes – act now to prevent the onset.
If you are concerned you could take a prediabetes test. There are no symptoms of prediabetes so you may have it and not know.
Healthy lifestyle choices can help you prevent type 2 diabetes. Even if you have diabetes in your family, diet and exercise can help you prevent the disease.
If you have prediabetes, lifestyle changes can slow or halt the progression from prediabetes to diabetes.
What is Prediabetes?
Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have “prediabetes” — blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Doctors sometimes refer to prediabetes as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG), depending on what test was used when it was detected. This condition puts you at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
If you have prediabetes, you should be checked for type 2 diabetes every one to two years.
You will not develop type 2 diabetes automatically if you have prediabetes. For some people with prediabetes, early treatment can actually return blood glucose levels to the normal range.
Research shows that you can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes by 58% by:
Losing 7% of your body weight.
Brisk walking for 30 minutes a day, five days a week
Losing 10 to 15 pounds can make a huge difference.
There are several ways to diagnose diabetes. Each way usually needs to be repeated on a second day to diagnose diabetes.
Testing should be carried out in a health care setting (such as your doctor’s office or a lab). If your doctor determines that your blood glucose level is very high, or if you have classic symptoms of high blood glucose in addition to one positive test, your doctor may not require a second test to diagnose diabetes.
The A1C test measures your average blood glucose for the past 2 to 3 months. The advantages of being diagnosed this way are that you don’t have to fast or drink anything.
Diabetes is diagnosed at an A1C of greater than or equal to 6.5%
Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG)
This test checks your fasting blood glucose levels. Fasting means after not having anything to eat or drink (except water) for at least 8 hours before the test. This test is usually done first thing in the morning, before breakfast.
Diabetes is diagnosed at fasting blood glucose of greater than or equal to 126 mg/dl
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (also called the OGTT)
The OGTT is a two-hour test that checks your blood glucose levels before and 2 hours after you drink a special sweet drink. It tells the doctor how your body processes glucose.
Diabetes is diagnosed at 2 hour blood glucose of greater than or equal to 200 mg/dl
Random (also called Casual) Plasma Glucose Test
This test is a blood check at any time of the day when you have severe diabetes symptoms.
Diabetes is diagnosed at blood glucose of greater than or equal to 200 mg/dl
Don’t just start a mad exercise programme though to try to prevent getting it – come in to see a chiropractor to discuss how best you can exercise for your particular back and neck issues …. prevention is always better than cure and working together to help reduce the likelihood of developing this horrible problem in the first place is going to help to get you on the road to a healthier old age!