Taking control of type II diabetes

More and more people are acquiring type II (adult onset) Diabetes Mellitus.  This is the disease that causes your blood sugar levels to rise and fall abnormally.  Nearly 10% of the world’s adults have diabetes, and the percentage is rising rapidly. The number of people with diabetes increased from 153 million in 1980 to 347 million in 2008.* Most of those diagnosed with Diabetes have type II, the non-insulin dependent type.  This means that it can be controlled with medication, diet and exercise in most cases.  Let’s think about that statement some more.  This is a disease that, in most cases, you can control through healthy eating and exercise.  Yet, Diabetes is often left uncontrolled.

Generally the onset of type II Diabetes is slow and symptoms are more mild than Juvenile/ Type I Diabetes.  It usually begins as insulin resistance, a disorder in which the cells do not use insulin properly, leading to elevated blood glucose levels.  Insulin resistance is caused in part by genetics, but also by excess weight, especially in the abdomen.  Also associated with “insulin resistance syndrome” is increased LDL (bad) blood cholesterol levels, decreased HDL (good) cholesterol levels, increased blood triglyceride (fat) levels, and increased blood pressure, putting the heart at risk, too.  In the early stages of excess glucose building up in the bloodstream, the person is in a state called "Pre-diabetes."  Most people with pre-diabetes develop type II diabetes within 10 years, unless they lose weight and increase their level of physical activity.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with older age, obesity and high-fat diet, genetics, history of gestational diabetes, physical inactivity, stress, and race/ethnicity.  Some of these risk factors are not modifiable, but many are.  Recent dramatic increases of this disease indicate that the modifiable lifestyle factors may be particularly important in triggering the genetic elements that cause this type of Diabetes.  Regardless of the cause, in every case, you have the ability to control the problems associated with the disease.

Type 2 diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in children and adolescents due to the obesity epidemic of today.  I discussed this problem of obesity in a previous column, and it warrants further attention.  Parents please help your children stay healthy by keeping them active on a daily basis and by eating healthy foods.  By following these simple rules, you have the power to prevent diseases like Type II Diabetes in your children. 

If you or a loved one develops Diabetes, controlling your blood sugar levels is crucial.  It is the peaks and valleys associated with the rise and fall of blood sugar levels that cause the secondary and more severe problems of Diabetes like blindness, non-healing infections leading to amputation, neuropathy and death. 

Among high-income countries, the United States had the steepest rise in diabetes over the past 3 decades for men and the second steepest rise for women. In 2008, 12.6% of American men and 9.1% of women had diabetes.* All types of Diabetes need to be taken seriously.  On almost a daily basis, I meet more people with Type II Diabetes and I know it would not be this prevalent if people would actively change their poor eating habits and incorporate regular exercise into their routines.  Is that really asking too much?

* PT in Motion, September, 2011