November is American Diabetes Month
Chances are, you know someone with diabetes. Nearly 24 million children and adults in the U.S. have the condition, and millions more people have diabetes and don’t know it.
November is American Diabetes Month. It’s a good time to acquaint yourself with diabetes, and how, with a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet, you can manage or prevent it.
The different types of diabetes
About 5-10% of people with diabetes have type 1, which is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin, a hormone necessary for ferrying glucose, the energy needed to survive and thrive, into your cells.
Most people who’ve been diagnosed with diabetes have type 2. In type 2 diabetes, the body may not produce enough insulin, or the cells can’t use the insulin the body produces. In many cases, type 2 diabetes is manageable with diet and exercise, and perhaps, pills that help control blood glucose levels.
Type 2 diabetes is no less serious than the type 1 variety. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into your cells, it causes problems, now and in the future. Cells become starved for energy. And, in the long run, you can do damage to your eyes, kidney, nerves, or heart.
More and more American children are developing type 2 diabetes. Children and adolescents diagnosed with the condition are typically between the ages of 10 and 19 and have a strong family history of type 2 diabetes. Experts say obesity and low levels of physical activity in young people are contributing to the rising rate of type 2 diabetes in our kids.
How can you prevent diabetes?
Experts are not sure what causes type 1 diabetes, so there’s little information about preventing it. However, healthy lifestyle habits and a balanced diet go a long way to keeping blood glucose levels on an even keel and heading off potential complications from type 1diabetes.
Preventing type 2 diabetes is a different story. You can help to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in yourself and your family by living a healthy life. Here’s how:
• Practice girth control: Extra pounds raise your risk for type 2 diabetes. If you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, losing weight may reverse excessive blood glucose levels in the blood.
• Avoid sugary drinks: A recent study from Harvard researchers published in the November 2010 issue of Diabetes Care found that drinking a single 12-ounce serving of a sugary beverage, such as a soda or juice drink, a day increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by about 15%. What’s the connection? Higher soda consumption is linked to an unhealthy weight, which is related to a greater risk for type 2 diabetes. Drink water and low-fat milk instead of soda and juice-like drinks, and serve healthier beverages to your children, too.
• Reach for grains more often: In a study of more than 160,000 women whose health and dietary habits were followed for up to 18 years, those who ate an average of 2 to 3 servings of whole grains a day were 30% less likely to have developed type 2 diabetes than those who rarely ate whole grains. Start each day with a whole grain cereal, such as Mom’s Best Naturals Raisin Bran, Sweetened Wheatfuls, or Instant Oatmeal. Serve kids whole grain cereals for snacks, too.
• Stay active with your family: Physical activity lowers blood glucose levels, helping to keep them in a healthy range. Children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day, while adults require a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate activity.
• If you’re pregnant, manage your diabetes to the best of your ability. Thinking about having a child? Get a fasting blood glucose test to see if you have diabetes or are at risk for developing it. High levels of glucose in your blood before conception may translate into a greater chance for developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Getting blood glucose levels under better control before pregnancy reduces the chances of complications for mother and child later on.
To become involved in American Diabetes Month and the Stop Diabetes movement, visit www.stopdiabetes.com or call 800-DIABETES.