20, Nov 2024
Recognizing November as American Diabetes Month serves to bring awareness to the over 38 million Americans living with diabetes and also represents a time to come together as a community.
What causes diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease condition when the body's blood sugar (glucose) levels are higher than normal.
This results from the body's inability to use or store blood glucose for energy. A hormone called insulin is needed to move the sugar, but diabetes limits the body's ability to produce enough insulin. When the body can't make enough insulin or uses the insulin the right way, sugar builds up in the blood. The organ damage from diabetes can cause blindness, nerve damage, kidney disease, and other serious health problems.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. There are two types of DM - type 1 and type 2. Type 1 DM occurs when the body experiences high blood glucose levels caused by a lack of insulin. The underlying mechanism involves an autoimmune reaction where the body's immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, causing the pancreas to produce little to no insulin. This type of diabetes often develops in young people but can appear in adults. Type 2 DM occurs when the body experiences high blood glucose levels due to a lack of insulin or the inability to use insulin effectively. This type of diabetes usually develops in middle-aged to older adults but can occur in young people as well.
Some of the risk factors for diabetes are high blood pressure, being overweight and smoking. Although some risk factors are beyond control, like a family history of diabetes, other factors, including smoking or being overweight, are ones you can try to work on. Small, gradual lifestyle changes such as increasing aerobic exercise, losing weight, and regularly eating a healthy diet can significantly reduce your risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
You might be at risk for prediabetes and type 2 DM if you are age 45 or older, overweight or obese, have a parent or sibling with type 2 DM, are physically inactive, have a history of gestational diabetes, or are an African American, American Indian, Hispanic or Latino, or Alaska Native person.
Various exercise regimens lower your blood sugar and help you stay healthy. Start slowly and choose the things you like to do. Remember to drink plenty of water. Before exercise, check out your feet to ensure you do not have cuts or sores that can get worse with exercise or make exercise painful.
Your blood glucose level is tied to the foods you eat. People with diabetes must balance the type and amount of food they eat daily.
You may enjoy your favorite comfort foods high in sugar and fats but think about moderation and balance. The key is to eat them only once in a while, in smaller portions, balancing them with healthier foods and more physical activity. Let's come together this American Diabetes Month and spread awareness and understanding about diabetes care and prevention in our community. We are stronger together.
Dr. Sue Mitra and her staff strive to offer their patients the best care, advice and services available in the medical field with the goal to keep patient healthy & happy.
Dr. Sue Mitra is board certified in international medicine. She is seen here with a Cologuard, which is a noninvasive colon cancer screening test. (Photo by: Tim Shortt/Florida Today)