Preventing Diabetes

Posted by Signature Medical Group on Saturday, October 22, 2016 in General Health News

Diabetes has become a worldwide threat, and doctors at Signature Medical Group are doing our best to meet the risk head-on.

Health experts estimate that more than 400 million people suffer from the disease and that number could climb to more than 600 million in 2040. Compare that to 1980 when the figure was at 100 million.

Unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles, leading to obesity, are seen as major culprits for the rapid rise.

Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. Glucose comes from the foods you eat. Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into your cells to give them energy.

With type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. With type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, the glucose stays in your blood. You can also have prediabetes. This means that your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. Having prediabetes puts you at a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause serious problems. It can damage your eyes, kidneys and nerves. Diabetes can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb. Pregnant women can also get diabetes, called gestational diabetes.

Simple lifestyle measures have been shown to be effective in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes. People should:

• Achieve and maintain healthy body weight.
• Be physically active - at least 30 minutes of regular, moderate-intensity activity on most days. More activity is required for weight control.
• Eat a healthy diet, keeping sugar and saturated fats to a minimum.
• Avoid tobacco use - smoking increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Our primary care doctors and endocrinologists at Signature Medical Group work closely with you to try to control and prevent the onset of diabetes.

Call us today to make an appointment to see one of our specialists.

Tags

1. blood glucose
2. blood sugar
3. diabetes
4. insulin
5. type 1 diabetes
6. type 2 diabetes