Are You at Risk of Developing Diabetes?

So what does it mean to be pre-diabetic?

The people most likely to develop diabetes are those with impaired glucose tolerance or prediabetes. They are more than 1.5 times more likely to develop diabetes in the next five years than people with normal blood glucose levels.

The most powerful contributor to developing diabetes is becoming overweight or obese. Diabetes is not caused by eating too much sugar or other carbohydrates. Excess energy from too much fat, sugar and protein alone or in combination will all work the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas much harder. Anytime the intake of your kilojoules is greater than your body’s energy needs, the excess is stored as fat, initially under the skin and in the buttocks and breasts.

could I have diabetesIf the excess kilojoules continues, the body creates additional storage, particularly around the internal organs, called visceral fat. This kind of fat is far more dangerous. All fat, but especially visceral fat, leaks chemical factors that hold back or resist the glucose-lowering effects of insulin. This ‘insulin resistance’ makes the pancreas work even harder, even when it should be resting between meals. Eventually something has to give.

Unless they are very old, few people whose waist circumference is within the healthy reference range, will become diabetic. If you are obese however, you are four times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people whose waist circumference is within the healthy reference range.

Female Waist Circumference:

Non-AsianAsian
Increased risk88-100 cm80-90 cm
Substantially increased riskMore than 100 cmMore than 90 cm

Male Waist Circumference:

Non-AsianAsian
Increased risk102-110 cm90-100 cm
Substantially increased riskMore than 110 cmMore than 100 cm

Fifty percent of Americans are now overweight or obese and this is the main reason why rates of diabetes are rising. Diabetes is also influenced by generic, hormonal, gender and environmental factors.

What Increases your Risk of Getting Diabetes?

Type 2 Diabetes symptomsIf you are inactive, of course this is going to significantly increase the risk of developing diabetes. Exercise is a very important means of controlling your weight and can burn off dangerous visceral fat. Regular physical activity improves the body’s sensitivity to insulin – so the pancreas doesn’t have to work as hard to do the same job.

signs of prediabetesGetting older increases your risk of diabetes as people tend to get fatter and less active as they get older. Controlling your weight, eating a healthy diet and some regular exercise are important for us all as we age.

signs of prediabetesDiabetes does tend to run in families, partly due to genes and partly because of similar lifestyle and diet habits and also the exposure to similar environmental factors.  If either of your parents or your siblings has diabetes, you are five to six times more likely to develop diabetes yourself. If three family members are affected, you’re more than fifteen times more likely to develop diabetes yourself than someone without a diabetes history. A third of people with type 2 diabetes also has a close family member with diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes symptomsDiabetes is more common in certain ethnic groups, such as Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders, Polynesians, Canadian and American Indians, Asians, Hispanics, Afro Americans and people from the Middle East. This is partly due to increased susceptibility to factors that cause diabetes more generally, such as obesity. As an example, a weight gain of 5 Kilos almost doubles the risk of diabetes in Asian people, compared with non-Asians.

Other Factors Associated with Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Include:

  • Gestational diabetes
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome
  • Heart disease and high blood pressure.
  • Chronic depression.
  • Heavy smoking
  • High or low birth weight.
  • Some medications, including steroids, beta-blockers, diuretics and some antipsychotics.

Do I have Diabetes or Pre-Diabetes?

Quite often, type 2 diabetes will begin as a silent disease and you won’t really be aware that you have it! Some of the symptoms you may be experiencing are:

  • Vision problems
  • Lack of energy.
  • Becoming more irritable.
  • Going to the toilet a lot more, and having to get up at night for this.
  • Reduced libido.
  • Fatigue.

Many people will simply blame these symptoms on ‘just a part of getting older’ or other problems. Most people diagnosed, may have even had the disease for five to ten years already! The sooner you know if you have diabetes, the more you can do to stop the progressions and to avoid complications.

How do I Test for Diabetes?

The most common ways to test for diabetes is an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), which involves an initial blood test, then drinking a large amount of glucose, then another blood test two hours later, to determine how quickly the glucose is cleared from your blood and balance restored. The OGTT is usually performed in the morning after fasting overnight. You can drink water beforehand, but not coffee tea or juice.

What should blood glucose levels be in healthy people?

In healthy people the blood glucose level from the second test should be below 7.8mM. Modestly elevated glucose levels – between 7.8 and 11.1 mM indicates impaired glucose intolerance – or prediabetes. Glucose levels above 11.1 mM confirms diabetes.

Two Random blood glucose level results above 11.1 mM, or a fasting glucose result greater than 7.8 mM on separate occasions, confirms a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus.

How do I reduce the risk of Diabetes?

How do I know if I have prediabetesRegular physical activity is an important means of achieving and maintaining weight control. Even without any weight loss, regular exercise can substantially reduce your risk of diabetes. However, you will achieve better results if you manage both. Even a modest change in activity, such as a more walking or bike riding, combined with w weight loss of only 2 kilograms, can significantly reduce your chance of developing diabetes.

Read more on Prediabetes HERE!

signs of diabetes

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Get the Facts on Prediabetes – Are you at Risk?

The Facts on Prediabetes, how to prevent diabetes
Are you at Risk?

 Get the Facts on Prediabetes.

So you’ve had a great Christmas vacation – spent some great quality time with the kids – been off visiting family and friends. Maybe you’ve even overindulged a little?

So much good home cooking on offer, wine, a few beers?

Does this sound like you?

Your wife (or husband) is nagging at you to go have a check up at the doctors, it’s been about 4 years since your last one! Lo and behold..he tells you that YOU’RE PRE DIABETIC.!

It doesn’t have to be this way – diabetes is basically a non-communicable lifestyle disease that (much of the time) is self-inflicted.

Well, read on if you want to get off that path to diabetes and get the chance to change your life NOW.

So, what are the facts on Prediabetes?

It’s actually a bit of a grey area, but basically your body is not able to efficiently manage blood sugars after eating any more. Your blood glucose levels are higher than they should be, but not quite high enough to fall into the Type 2 diabetes category.

How do you know if you’re at risk of Prediabetes?

Unfortunately, in most cases you can have it and not even know it! There’s no symptoms and no warning signs.

Being overweight is one of the main risk factors – especially excess fat around the waistline.

Without regular doctors checks, the increased blood glucose level that goes hand in hand with prediabetes, goes undetected.

Some who fall into the ‘prediabetic ‘ category, may also have some of the symptoms of diabetes. Here are a few of the main ones to watch out for.

Eye damage.

The most common type of eye damage for a diabetic, is retinopathy. (This is where the blood vessels in the retina, become week, damaged and may often bleed or leak.)

Some nerve damage.

This is referred to as neuropathy. About 50 % of diabetics end up with some nerve damage. You may get numbness, tingling, or weakness in the hands and feet. (That is why regular exercise is so vital, especially if you are diabetic or fall into the prediabetic category.)

Nerve damage can affect so many parts of the body, stomach, abdomen – These in turn can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, problems with the bladder and even sexual dysfunction in men.

Kidney damage.

Damage to the kidneys caused by diabetes, is called nephropathy. (From the Greek nephros for kidney). Once again, its raised blood glucose levels, higher than normal blood pressure levels and excess blood fat levels that contribute to kidney damage in diabetics.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to detect kidney damage and sometimes even an examination by your doctor won’t pick up until it’s too late – sometimes patients can lose almost all of their kidney function before symptoms are apparent.

Problems with your teeth and gums

You may experience problems with your teeth and gums, as increased blood sugar levels also affect the flow of saliva lowering your infection fighting white blood cells.

Remember to brush twice a day and have regular dental checks!

Heart problems

Cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke) along with obesity and

How to prevent diabetes
Foods Diabetics Should Avoid

diabetes, is killing 18 million people a year – a large majority of these diseases are purely due to the modern lifestyle. Mums are out working now, fast food joints are everywhere, we are eating more food, more often and it’s a lot more processed, rather than fresh. Packaged food became much more attractive, cheaper and has a longer shelf life.

Do you have problems sleeping? You may be experiencing Prediabetes.

If you are one that only sleeps around 6 hours or less each night, and it’s a regular pattern for you, you may fall into the category of prediabetes. These are some of the things you could be experiencing that puts you within the prediabetes category.

The only way to find out for sure, is by visiting you physician and requesting a ‘fasting blood glucose test’.  If this reveals you levels are between 6.1 to 6.9mmol/L, then there may be a further test required where you have to drink a really sugary drink (oral glucose tolerance test) to see just how well your body deals with it. This is the sure fast way to determine whether you need some radical lifestyle changes, to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. It may be as simple as just following a good diet for pre diabetes.  Follow this link for some tips on a good Diabetic Meal Plan. Be sure to visit us here again soon, where you can find out more on the Facts on Prediabetes.

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The Importance of a Normal Fasting Blood Glucose

Normal Fasting Blood Glucose
Normal Fasting Blood Glucose

If you or someone you know has a family history of diabetes or has already been diagnosed with diabetes a normal fasting blood glucose is one of the most important things that can be had to control the detrimental health effects of the disease.

While glucose is important to the body because every cell in the body uses glucose for fuel, when glucose levels rise to the point where a normal fasting blood glucose cannot be maintained the high glucose levels can begin to damage nearly every body system. Most people are familiar enough with diabetic complications to know that highly elevated blood glucose can lead to heart and kidney problems, neuropathy, coma, and even death.

A normal fasting blood glucose is generally considered to be between 60 and 100 mg/dl, but of course this isn’t a hard and fast rule because it can be affected by age, weight, and underlying health conditions. Only a doctor can say for sure what your normal fasting blood glucose should be. Once this has been determined it is up to you as the patient to work with the doctor, keep track of your blood glucose levels, take your medications and follow dietary restrictions as prescribed. This is the only way to maintain your normal fasting blood glucose level as much as possible.

If you or someone you know begins to develop the three most common indicators of high glucose, which are increased thirst, increased appetite, and increased urination, it may be time to visit your doctor for a glucose tolerance test. This painless test involves ingesting a known quantity of a glucose solution then having your blood glucose checked periodically over what is generally a 2 hour period. In this way you will know if your body is able to maintain the normal fasting blood glucose.

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