To Your Good Health

Living With Diabetes

Control Your Condition, Control Your Life

A diabetes diagnosis can feel like a life sentence. However, with the

right care, the latest medical advancements, and a can-do attitude, diabetes can be just one part of a busy and active life. In some cases, diabetes can be avoided or even reversed. Understanding the causes and treatment of the disease is the key to controlling diabetes…instead of letting it control you.

Diabetes affects the way the body regulates blood sugar (also known as glucose). Glucose is the sugar that is found naturally in blood. It creates energy and helps provide nutrients to the body. To support the body, glucose needs insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that regulates the body’s metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. In people who have diabetes, insulin is not doing its job, and blood sugar is not sufficiently controlled.

There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. With type 1 diabetes, the body simply does not produce insulin. It is often called juvenile diabetes, as it is usually diagnosed in childhood or young adulthood. It is an autoimmune disease. That means the body’s immune system attacks healthy body tissue. Heredity, certain viruses, and race or ethnicity can increase the risk of type 1 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes can produce insulin. However, their cells have become resistant to this insulin, and the pancreas is unable to make enough insulin to overcome this resistance. By Leslie Byrne

Without sufficient insulin, sugar builds up in the bloodstream instead of moving into the cells, where it is needed for energy. Type 2 diabetes often develops in patients older than 35 and is sometimes referred to as adult onset diabetes. African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and many patients have a family history of the disease. Lifestyle risks include being overweight and sedentary.

In 2018, 34.2 million Americans, or 10.5 percent of the population, had diabetes. Of that number, only 1.6 million have type 1 diabetes—type 2 is much more common. Approximately 88 million Americans have what is known as pre-diabetes. That is when someone’s blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to meet the threshold of a diabetes diagnosis. Without lifestyle and dietary changes, pre-diabetes often develops into diabetes. A blood test at an annual physical is usually how people learn they have pre-diabetes. It is an opportunity for them to make

changes to ward off the disease. The most common blood test to diagnose diabetes is the A1C test. Levels below 5.7 percent are considered normal. Levels between 5.7 percent and 6.4 percent indicate pre-diabetes. A1C levels of 6.5 percent or higher indicate diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is a genetic condition that cannot be avoided. People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin several times a day because the body does not produce the hormone on its own. An insulin pump is a convenient device that gives the patient small, steady doses of insulin throughout the day.

Though type 2 diabetes is much more common, it is also possible to avoid by addressing risk factors. If you are overweight, get down to a healthy weight; if you’re at a healthy weight already, maintain it. Make sure you’re getting sufficient exercise and eating a healthy diet. Limit alcohol and quit smoking. If high blood pressure is an issue, talk to your doctor about controlling it.

Some people with type 2 diabetes are able to control it by eating a healthy diet and being physically active. If medicine is needed, the medication can be an injection or a daily pill. Some studies have shown that type 2 diabetes can be reversed with significant and permanent changes in diet and lifestyle.

An endocrinologist is a medical doctor who specializes in diabetes and hormone disorders. People with either type of diabetes should see their endocrinologist regularly. They should also schedule annual eye exams and work with a dietitian to help them adopt a diabetes-friendly diet.

When diabetes is not closely monitored and treated, the patient has an increased chance of developing serious medical problems such as heart disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, eye damage, or stroke. Nerve damage and poor circulation can lead to skin conditions, especially in the feet. Simple skin problems like blisters can develop into serious infections that may eventually require amputation.

If you are diagnosed with pre-diabetes, use that time to make changes so diabetes does not develop. If you do develop diabetes, follow your endocrinologist’s advice about treatment and lifestyle changes. Diligent attention to your condition means that diabetes can become a part of your life without taking over your life.

Sources for this article included: mayoclinic.org, cdc.gov, diabetes.org, and niddk.nih.gov.