Celebrity chef Paula Deen recently announced she has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, the most common form. She joins 25.6 million other adults in the United States with this serious, chronic disease — several million of which don’t realize they have it.
It’s pretty sobering news and may have some people worried about their own risk of the disease.
Deborah Hoffman, RN, CDE coordinator and instructor for Via Christi Clinic’s Diabetes Self-Management Education Program, offers some important information about what Type 2 diabetes is and how you can lower your risk for the disease.
How does Type 2 diabetes work?
Your body needs glucose as its main form of energy so you can perform your usual daily activities. Diabetes does not let your body use glucose (sugar) normally. Glucose comes mostly from carbohydrates (starches and simple sugars) that we eat. Insulin, a hormone made by your pancreas, helps move the glucose into your cells so you have the energy you need. The liver stores glucose for energy needs in between meals and overnight. Incretins, another hormone system, help keep the whole process in balance. Type 2 diabetes includes several defects that raise blood glucose levels:
- Insulin resistance (the cells resist your insulin so that glucose can’t enter)
- Insulin deficiency (the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin to overcome the resistance)
- Abnormal liver release of stored glucose
- Incretin deficiency (not enough to keep glucose metabolism in balance)
Diabetes complications
Uncontrolled glucose levels cause silent damage to nerves, vessels and organs and, over time, can lead to dozens of diabetes complications. The more common ones include:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Blindness
- Kidney failure
- Amputation
- Peripheral neuropathy (chronic foot discomfort; balance problems)
What are the risks for developing diabetes?
What many people don’t realize is that they can have diabetes for years before they may be diagnosed. Silent damage leading to diabetes complications occurs whenever glucose levels are even a little bit over target. High blood sugar symptoms (most commonly frequent urination, increased thirst, feeling tired, blurry vision, frequent or slow to heal, yeast or other infections) usually don’t appear until glucose levels become quite high — maybe years after the disease has started.
Because of this, one needs to pay special attention to whether or not they have any of the following risk factors and ask their doctor to be tested:
- Family history of Type 2 diabetes
- Being overweight (defined by a BMI > 25 or waist size: women >35”, men > 40”)
- Low physical activity levels
- Prediabetes
- Certain ethnic backgrounds: African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian
- History of diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes) or having had a baby over 9 lbs.
How is diabetes diagnosed?
Diabetes is officially diagnosed through one of several different lab tests — the most common being either a fasting glucose test or an A1C blood test (which gives a 3 month average of your past blood sugars). If you are at high risk, have your glucose level tested yearly.
What is prediabetes?
More than 79 million people in the U.S. have prediabetes (sometimes called borderline diabetes or ‘a touch of sugar’). It is diagnosed when glucose levels are above normal but not yet diagnostic for diabetes. The good news is that a person who is at this stage of insulin resistance can reverse the process and keep from developing diabetes. In fact, 58 percent of people with prediabetes can prevent or greatly delay the progression to diabetes by making the following lifestyle changes:
- eating healthier meals
- making physical activity a regular habit
- losing 7 percent of their weight
The standard of care when one has prediabetes is to work with a registered dietitian (and perhaps an exercise professional) to help you make these changes. Take prediabetes seriously. Unfortunately many people are not told they have the condition or are not told about the changes they can make to avoid diabetes. Always ask your doctor about where your glucose levels fit within the spectrum and insist on a referral if results are above normal. Better yet, if you don’t have prediabetes or diabetes, be proactive with the above steps to stay as healthy as possible.
