Diabetes

What exactly is diabetes? Simply put, it’s the body’s inability to properly handle the sugar (glucose) that’s in your blood. Too much sugar in the blood can cause damage to many parts of the body, including blood vessels and nerves. There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 is something that a person is born with and has no way of preventing or curing. Type 1 diabetics need to get regular insulin shots. Type 2 diabetes typically starts in adulthood, but more children are now developing it because of the increase in obesity and decrease in exercise. Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes and the one that’s related to our being overweight. Insulin shots may also be necessary for people that develop Type 2 diabetes, but in most cases, it can be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight, eating the right foods, and being physically active. (Does that sound familiar?)

Take a look at these statistics for a better idea of how critical it is that we make some changes:

Diabetes and African-American Statistics

  • Affects 3.2 million or 13.3% of all African-Americans aged 20 years or older.
  • African-Americans are almost twice as likely to have diabetes as whites.
  • 1 out of every 4 African-Americans between the ages of 65 and 74 has diabetes
  • 1 out of every 4 African-American women over 55 has diabetes

Source: American Diabetes Association

Why is diabetes so dangerous? It can cause all types of harmful serious health problems including: blindness, kidney disease, amputations, heart disease, and stroke. So the key is to prevent diabetes before it even develops, or if you already suffer from it, control it through lifestyle changes and medications if necessary.  You need to find out if you’re at risk for diabetes. Pay attention to the chart below and check off all of those risk factors that apply to you. Those of you that have the ability to change yourself should as soon as possible because that means that you can better control the fate of your health.

Diabetes Risk Factors

  • I have a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes (family history).
  • My family background is Alaska Native, American Indian, African-American, Hispanic/Latino American, Asian American, or Pacific Islander.
  • I have had diabetes during a pregnancy, or I gave birth to at least one baby weighing more than 9 pounds.
  • My blood pressure is 140/90 or higher, or I have been told that I have high blood pressure.
  • My cholesterol levels are not normal. My HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) is below 35, or my triglyceride level is above 250.
  • I am not very physically active. I exercise fewer than three times a week.
  • I have polycystic ovary syndrome, also called PCOS (women only).
  • On previous testing, I had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or have been told that I was "pre-diabetic. "
  • I have other clinical conditions associated with insulin resistance.

Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH

Now that you know the problem, how are you going to solve it?  Take a look below at how you can reduce your risk for diabetes and improve your health.

What You Can Do

  • Lose weight
  • Lower your cholesterol/triglyceride level
  • Become physically active most days (4 days/week)
  • Lower your blood pressure
  • Make wise food choices most of the time
  • Get your blood sugar levels checked regularly
  • Take your medications as prescribed by your doctor