Type 2 Diabetes
The good news is that you can prevent or delay the onset of Diabetes.
Prediabetes Risk
Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Approximately 88 million American adults—more than 1 in 3—have prediabetes. Of those with prediabetes, more than 84% don’t know they have it.
Prediabetes is a condition that can lead to type 2 diabetes, stroke, and even heart disease. Your chances of having prediabetes go up if you:
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Are 45 or older
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Are Black, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Asian American or Pacific Islander
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Have a parent, brother or sister with diabetes
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Are overweight
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Are physically inactive
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Have high blood pressure or take medicine for high blood pressure
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Have low HDL cholesterol and/or high triglycerides
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Had diabetes during pregnancy
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Have been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome
What causes prediabetes?
Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas that acts like a key to let blood sugar into cells for use as energy. If you have prediabetes, the cells in your body don’t respond normally to insulin. Your pancreas makes more insulin to try to get cells to respond. Eventually your pancreas can’t keep up, and your blood sugar rises, setting the stage for prediabetes—and type 2 diabetes down the road.
Prevention?
"Stopping Diabetes in its Tracks" health and wellness program.
Information retrieved from Diabetes.org and CDC-Prediabetes
Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
If you have prediabetes, losing a small amount of weight if you’re overweight and getting regular physical activity can lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes. A small amount of weight loss means around 5% to 7% of your body weight, just 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person. Regular physical activity means getting at least 150 minutes a week of brisk walking or a similar activity. That’s just 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
Information retrieved from CDC-Prediabetes
Diabetes Type 2
More than 34 million Americans have diabetes (about 1 in 10), and approximately 90-95% of them have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes most often develops in people over age 45, but more and more children, teens, and young adults are also developing it.
What Causes Type 2 Diabetes
Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas that acts like a key to let blood sugar into the cells in your body for use as energy. If you have type 2 diabetes, cells don’t respond normally to insulin; this is called insulin resistance. Your pancreas makes more insulin to try to get cells to respond. Eventually your pancreas can’t keep up, and your blood sugar rises, setting the stage for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. High blood sugar is damaging to the body and can cause other serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
Symptoms and Risks Factors
Type 2 diabetes symptoms often develop over several years and can go on for a long time without being noticed (sometimes there aren’t any noticeable symptoms at all). Because symptoms can be hard to spot, it’s important to know the risk factors and to see your doctor to get your blood sugar tested if you have any of them.
Managing Diabetes Type 2
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Develop a healthy eating and activity plan
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Test your blood sugar and keep a record of the results
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Recognize the signs of high or low blood sugar and what to do about it
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If needed, give yourself insulin by syringe, pen, or pump
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Monitor your feet, skin, and eyes to catch problems early
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Buy diabetes supplies and store them properly
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Manage stress and deal with daily diabetes care
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