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IF YOU KNEW
you were on
track to develop diabetes in the not-so-
distant future, wouldn’t you want to seize
every opportunity to make some changes
that can help prevent the disease?
Statistics show that nearly half a million
people in Alabama have diabetes, and an
alarming 32 percent of the state’s approx-
imately 4.8 million people are obese. That
is the highest percentage in the country.
“Obesity is strongly related to diabetes,
and there is a higher risk of developing
diabetes when your weight increases,” said
Basil Burney, MD, endocrinologist. “On
the other hand, weight loss can result in
a better control of blood sugar in diabetic
patients.”
There are also ways to control the onset
of diabetes after a diagnosis of predia-
betes, a condition in which blood sugar
levels are higher than normal but not yet
high enough to be full-blown diabetes.
People with prediabetes are on course
to get type 2 diabetes within a decade,
reports the National Institutes of Health.
But that outcome isn’t inevitable.
Studies show that people who have pre-
diabetes can get their blood sugar under
control and lower their risk of diabetes
significantly.
Who’s at risk?
Diabetes can cause problems with the
heart, brain, eyes, feet, kidneys, nerves and
more. Get screened if your blood pressure
is higher than 135/80 mm Hg, if you take
medicine for high blood pressure or if you
have a family history of type 2 diabetes.
“It is also important to be screened if
you experience symptoms of diabetes,
which include increased thirst, frequent
urination, blurry vision and unintentional
weight loss,” Dr. Burney said. “Poor control
of diabetes—and prediabetes—can lead
to many complications, including kidney
failure, blindness, heart disease and stroke.
However, diabetes is very controllable,
and there have been lots of advances
made in the past few years with regards
to insulin and noninsulin diabetes
medications.”
If you have been diagnosed with type 2
diabetes, there have been great advances
in treating the disease. According to
Dr. Burney, new noninsulin medications
have recently been approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration which
have helped give physicians further
options in treating patients with
diabetes. Unlike insulin,
these medications help
patients lose weight.
“Insulin is the
hormone that helps
regulate your blood
sugar, and patients
who are on multiple
insulin injections may
also benefit from insulin
pump therapy,” Dr. Burney
said. “This treatment has
been shown in selective
patients to be very effective in
controlling their blood sugar and
preventing complications related to
diabetes.”
Get it under control
By losing some weight and exercis-
ing regularly, you can help your
body use insulin better.
Losing just 5 to 10 percent of your
weight may help reduce your risk
for diabetes by 60 percent or more.
Exercising regularly can help you
shed pounds. Aim for 30 minutes of
activity, such as brisk walking, every
day.
“Since diabetes is a condition that
affects how your body uses energy, or
glucose, from food, diabetics have a high
level of glucose in their bloodstream, and
they need to make lifestyle changes to
better control it,” said Morgan Cadrette,
registered dietitian at Jackson Hospital.
“To prevent these complications from oc-
curring later in life, people with diabetes
should eat a healthy diet and engage in
physical activity.”
Cadrette explains that “carbohydrate
counting,” a common term for monitor-
ing the amount of carbohydrate servings
consumed throughout the day, will help
patients with diabetes set a limit for max-
imum intake each day and can help keep
blood glucose levels in a normal range.
Sources: AGS Foundation for Health in Aging;
National Institutes of Health
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