What is diabetes? How do I know if I have diabetes? How do I prevent diabetes?
by: SAC Health Staff Writer
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease caused by high blood sugar. When you have diabetes, your body struggles to make or use enough insulin (a natural hormone made by your pancreas) to break down the sugar in your blood and turn it into energy.
What are the Types of Diabetes?
There are four types of diabetes to look out for:
Type 1 Diabetes means that your body doesn’t make insulin or only makes a very small amount. Usually, type 1 diabetes is diagnosed in young adults or children, but you can develop it at any age. If you have type 1 diabetes, you need to take insulin every day.
Type 2 Diabetes means that your body makes enough insulin, but it can’t use it properly. This is the most common type of diabetes. Risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes include:
Obesity or severe weight gain
Family members with diabetes
Lack of physical activity or exercise
Your ethnicity - people who identify as African American, American Indian, Asian American, or Hispanic/Latino are most at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Gestational Diabetes is a diabetes that can develop during pregnancy. In most cases, gestational diabetes goes away on its own after the birth, but it can make you more likely to develop type 2 diabetes down the line.
Prediabetes is a less intense type of diabetes. If you have prediabetes, you may have high blood sugar levels, but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 1 or 2 diabetes. However, prediabetes can easily turn more serious over time and can put you at serious risk for heart disease.
How do you Prevent or Treat Diabetes?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for diabetes. However, there are steps you can take to prevent or manage diabetes and live a healthy life.
Preventing Diabetes
The best ways to prevent diabetes are all about living a healthy lifestyle. If you’re at risk for type 2 diabetes, doctors recommend:
● Increasing exercise and day-to-day movement
● Decreasing trans fats, saturated fats, and added sugars
● Drinking water instead of soda or sugary drinks
● Getting regular testing
Managing Diabetes
Managing diabetes sounds daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Along with following the healthy lifestyle suggestions above, here’s what you need to watch to safely manage your diabetes:
● Get you A1C blood sugar test done by a professional every three months.
● Lower your cholesterol to avoid clogging your blood vessels
● Keep your blood pressure nice and low based on a doctor’s recommendation
● Stop smoking
● Keep healthy snacks on hand - you also don’t want your blood sugar to go too low
● Take the proper medications. The most common diabetic medication is insulin, but your doctor may recommend additional medications to help lower blood sugar levels, make your body more sensitive to insulin, help your pancreas release insulin, or make your body process glucose faster.
*Remember, never take any medications without a doctor’s recommendation.
The most important tool in your fight to prevent and manage diabetes is your health care professional. Along with appropriate medication, your doctor can help you make big lifestyle changes that can prevent disease.
Make an appointment with your primary care provider at sachealth.org/appointments and see if you might be a candidate for SAC Health’s Lifestyle Clinic. It’s never too late to take on diabetes.
