Avoiding Diabetes

Volume 4 Issue 42

May 2005

Diabetes is the nation’s seventh leading cause of death (sixth leading cause of death caused by disease. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people ages 20 - 74. Each year, from 12,000 to 24,000 people lose their sight because of diabetes.

Diabetes is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease, accounting for about 40% of new cases. In 1995 , approximately 27,900 people initiated treatment for end stage renal disease (kidney failure) because of diabetes. About 60 - 70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of diabetic nerve damage, which, in severe forms, can lead to lower limb amputations.

And people with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely to have heart disease which is present in 75 percent of diabetes-related deaths (more than 77,000 deaths due to heart disease annually). And, they are 2 to 4 times more likely to suffer a stroke.

While diabetes has no cure and can kill and/or maim you and your loved ones, you and your family can significantly lessen your chances of getting the disease with some common sense changes in your lifestyle.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes is a mystery but there are what are known as risk factors – both genetically predetermined and lifestyle factors – which seem to determine who gets the illness and who does not.

There are two common types of diabetes.

Type one diabetes is an auto-immune disease in which the body does not produce any insulin, most often occurring in children and young adults. People with Type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections to stay alive. Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5 - 10 percent of diabetes.

Type two diabetes is a metabolic disorder resulting from the body's inability to make enough, or properly use, insulin. It is the most common form of the disease. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 - 95 percent of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is nearing epidemic proportions.

Each type of diabetes – as well as many other illnesses – has what is known as risk factors. A risk factor is something in a person’s environment or makeup that increases his or her risk of getting the illness. In diabetes, there are both genetic risks and lifestyle risks.

Genetic risks are factors you can do little about. For example, certain ethnic groups – such as African Americans, Asians and Latinos – have a higher chance of becoming diabetic than members of other groups. You can not change your race so there is little you can do here to avoid diabetes besides being aware that you have a greater chance of getting the disease and being tested more often for it and watching out for risk factors in your lifestyle which you can change.

Many experts claim that children who are fed nutritious diets from the start are more likely to eat good diets when they become adults and thus more likely to avoid diabetes.

What makes up a good diet?  Remember that food pyramid you had in your grade or high school health and/or science texts? Well, that pyramid is as valid today as it was then.

The food pyramid has six sections for food groups. They vary in size. The largest group -- grains, beans, and starchy vegetables -- is on the bottom. This means that you should eat more servings of grains, beans, and starchy vegetables than of any of the other foods.

Exercise

You also need to get off your butt and move around. Why?  Exercise usually lowers blood sugar. That helps your body use its food supply better. Also, exercise may help insulin work better. If you are overweight, exercise, plus careful attention to diet, can help take off extra pounds.  How should you exercise? Ask your doctor.

Obviously, a severely overweight person can not start lifting heavy weights or running marathons. So, each person’s exercise plan should be started with doctor advice and testing to see what exercise is right for that person. So, with your doctor, plan an exercise regimen that is right for you.

The only steadfast rules here are that you monitor your exercise so it does not make you sick (low blood sugar for example can make you dizzy) and that your follow the plan created religiously. Most exercise plans require doing them several times per week so once in a while when you remember or feel like it is not enough to help you avoid diabetes.

Of course, steady exercise will help you avoid other problems as well. It improves the flow of blood through the small blood vessels and increases your heart's pumping power. The right exercise program may make you look and feel better.

Taking Care of Your Body

Of course, taking care of your general health will help you ward off most diseases including diabetes. Have your teeth cleaned and checked by the dentist at least every 6 months. Brush at least twice a day to fight plaque. And kick the smoking habit. No matter how long you've smoked, your health will improve when you quit. Nicotine, the drug in tobacco, is one of the most addictive substances known. Besides the physical addiction, many smokers also become psychologically hooked on cigarettes. So kicking the habit is hard-but worth the work. There are many methods you can try that can help you quit and stay quit.

Stress

Stress is a normal part of life, but one that can make it harder to control your blood glucose (sugar). Stress results when something causes your body to behave as if it were under attack. Sources of stress can be physical, like injury or illness. Or they can be mental, like problems in your marriage, job, health, or finances.

When stress occurs, the body gears up to take action. This preparation is called the fight-or-flight response. In the fight-or-flight response, levels of many hormones shoot up. Their net effect is to make a lot of stored energy glucose and fat available to cells. These cells are then primed to help the body get away from danger. While you can not avoid stress, you can control it.

You have some control over your reaction to stress. You can learn to relax and reverse the body⬢s hormonal response to stress. And, of course, you may be able to change your life to relieve sources of stress. Something else that affects people⬢s responses to stress is coping style. Coping style is how a person deals with stress. For example, some people have a problem-solving attitude. They say to themselves, "What can I do about this problem?" They try to change their situation to get rid of the stress.

Other people talk themselves into accepting the problem as okay. They say to themselves, "This problem really is not so bad after all." These two methods of coping are usually helpful. People who use them tend to have less blood sugar elevation in response to mental stress.

There are other ways to reduce stress. Study them and find out what works for you.

You Can Reduce Your Risk

While research has not found the primary cause of diabetes yet meaning there is no guarantees of avoiding the illness, current research shows you can reduce your chances of becoming diabetic.

Eat right.
Exercise.
Reduce stress.
And take care of your body.

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