What is Diabetes?
Over the last two weeks, my posts have focused on the importance of carbs as part of a healthy diet. But can you eat carbs if you have diabetes? YES, you can! I’ll talk more about managing diabetes with a healthy diet in the next few weeks, but today I’m going to discuss what diabetes is, how it’s diagnosed, and complications that can occur in uncontrolled or undiagnosed diabetes.
According to the CDC, 34.2 million Americans, or 1 in 10 people, have diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that causes the body to stop making insulin or to not use the insulin as it should. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that keeps blood sugar (or glucose) at the appropriate level.
Types of diabetes
The most common types of diabetes are:
Type 1
The pancreas stops producing insulin completely so insulin injections are required in order for the body to properly function. Type 1 diabetes can be diagnosed at any age.
Type 2
The pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin so too much sugar stays in the bloodstream. Muscle, fat, and liver cells stop responding as well to the insulin so your body isn’t able to use the sugar for energy like it’s supposed to; this is called insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes is more common in adults but is starting to now even appear in children. Some of the most common risk factors include being overweight or obese, a sedentary lifestyle, race and ethnicity, family history, and age.
Gestational
Gestational diabetes is diabetes that occurs in pregnancy and usually goes away after delivery. Stay tuned for a blog post all about gestational diabetes and how to manage it in a few weeks!
Diagnosis
There are four different tests used to diagnose diabetes:
Hemoglobin A1C - a test that measures your average blood sugar over the past 3 months
5.6% or less is normal
5.7%-6.4% is prediabetes
6.5% or higher is diabetes
Fasting plasma glucose - blood test after not eating or drinking for 8 or more hours
99 mg/dL or less is normal
100-125 mg/dL is prediabetes
126 mg/dL or higher is diabetes
Random blood sugar check - blood sugar over 200 mg/dL anytime (fasting or not fasting) is a diagnosis of diabetes
Oral glucose tolerance test - measures blood sugar before and after drinking a sugary drink to determine how your body processes sugar
Complications associated with diabetes
Diabetes can lead to numerous health problems. Over time, too much sugar in the bloodstream starts to damage blood vessel linings which can lead to:
Heart problems, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart attack, and stroke.
Kidney disease (nephropathy), including end-stage renal disease and requiring dialysis.
Eye problems (retinopathy), such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular edema, and retinal detachment.
Damage to nerves (neuropathy), which can cause tingling and numbness in limbs and eventually lead to the amputation of toes, feet, or legs.
Gastroparesis, which is damage to the nerves in the stomach and can cause slowed digestion.
Dental problems, such as gingivitis or increased cavities.
Slow wound healing.
Now that you know all about diabetes, you are probably wondering how to manage it if you have it or how to prevent it if you are at risk for developing it. Next week’s post will focus on preventing diabetes and getting rid of prediabetes (borderline diabetes).
Want to know if you’re at risk for developing type 2 diabetes? Take this 60-second risk test to find out!
