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November is “Diabetes Awareness Month.” This is a topic near and dear to me because I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic five years ago which was a wake-up call. Diabetes is a disease that has impacted my family for generations in large part due to eating the rich and delicious soul food which was the only path that my parents and grandparents knew. 

My diagnosis contributed to my doing some research and putting measures in place to make some changes. I engaged in a spiritual program that required me to abstain completely from all flour and sugar and to eat three weighed and measured meals with nothing in between. My new and improved eating plan lowered my A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. I’m a member of elderhood and I am medication free.

Diabetes attacks the body when it is unable to take sugar (glucose) into its cells and use it for energy.  This results in a buildup of extra sugar in your bloodstream.

The digestion process includes breaking down the food you eat into various nutrient sources. When you eat carbohydrates (for example, bread, rice, pasta), your body breaks this down into sugar (glucose). When glucose is in your bloodstream it needs help – a “key” – to get to its final destination where it’s used, which is inside your body’s cells (cells make up your body’s tissues and organs). This help or “key” insulin.

Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas; an organ located behind the stomach. Your pancreas releases insulin into your bloodstream, insulin acts as the “key” that unlocks the cell wall “door,” which allows glucose to enter your body’s cells. Glucose provides the “fuel” or energy tissues and organs need to properly function.

If you have diabetes, your pancreas doesn’t make any insulin or enough insulin. Or your pancreas makes insulin but your body’s cells don’t respond to it and can’t use it as they normally should. If glucose can’t get into your body’s cells, it stays in your bloodstream, and your blood glucose level rises.

There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, meaning your body attacks itself. In this case, the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas are destroyed.

For this blog, the focus will be Type 2 diabetes and Prediabetes. With these types, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin, or your body’s cells don’t respond normally to the insulin. These are the most common types of diabetes. Up to 95% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.

It usually occurs in middle-aged and older people. Other common names for Type 2 include adult-onset and insulin-resistant diabetes. Your parents are grandparents may have called it “having a touch of sugar.”

Prediabetes: This type is the stage before Type 2 diabetes. Your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be officially diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is an epidemic in the United States of America.

Who gets diabetes?   What are the risk factors? 

Factors that increase your risk differ depending on the type of diabetes you ultimately develop.

Risk factors for prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes include:

1. Family history (parent or sibling) of prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes.
2. Being Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian-American race or Pacific Islander.
3. Having overweight/obesity.
4. Having high blood pressure.
5. Have low HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol and high triglyceride level.
6. Being physically inactive.
7. Being age 45 or older.
8. Having a history of heart disease or stroke.
9. Being a smoker.

Cause of Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes:
Your body’s cells don’t allow insulin to work as it should to let glucose into its cells. Your body’s cells have become resistant to insulin. Your pancreas can’t keep up and make enough insulin to overcome this resistance. Glucose levels rise in your bloodstream.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

1. Increased thirst.
2. Weak, tired feeling.
3. Blurred vision.
4. Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
5. Slow-healing sores or cuts.
6. Unplanned weight loss.
7. Frequent urination.
8. Frequent unexplained infections
9. Dry mouth.

Other symptoms

In women:  Dry and itchy skin, and frequent yeast infections or urinary tract infections.

In men:   Decreased sex drive, erectile dysfunction, decreased muscle strength.

Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes symptoms:

You may not have any symptoms at all or may not notice them since they develop slowly over several years. Symptoms usually begin to develop when you’re an adult, but prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes is on the rise in all age groups.

What are the complications of diabetes:
If your blood glucose level remains high over a long period of time, your body’s tissue and organs can be seriously damaged. Some complications can be life-threatening over time.

Complications include:

1. Cardiovascular issues including coronary artery disease, chest pain, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries.
2. Nerve damage (neuropathy) that causes numbing and tingling that starts at toes or fingers then spreads.
3. Kidney damage (nephropathy) that can lead to kidney failure or the need for dialysis or transplant.
4. Eye damage (retinopathy) that can lead to blindness, cataracts, glaucoma.
5. Foot damage including nerve damage, poor blood flow and poor healing of cuts and sores.
6. Skin infections.
7. Hearing loss.
8. Depression.
9. Dementia.
10. Dental problems.

How is diabetes diagnosed?

Diabetes is diagnosed and managed by checking your glucose level in a blood test. There are three tests that can measure your blood glucose level: Fasting glucose test, Random glucose test, and A1C test.

MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT
How can diabetes be managed?

Diabetes affects your whole body. To best manage diabetes, you'll need to take steps to keep your risk factors under control and within the normal range, including:

1. Keep your blood glucose level as near to normal as possible by following a diet plan, taking prescribed medication and increasing your activity level.
2. Maintain your blood cholesterol (HDL and LDL levels) and triglyceride levels as near the normal range as possible.
3. Control your blood pressure. Your blood pressure should not be over 140/90 mmHg.

You hold the keys to managing your diabetes by:

1. Planning what you eat and following a healthy meal plan. Follow a Mediterranean diet (vegetables, whole grains, beans, fruits, healthy fats, low sugar) or Dash diet. These diets are high in nutrition and fiber and low in fats and calories.
2. Exercising regularly. Try to exercise for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. Walk, swim, or find some activity you enjoy.
3. Taking medication and insulin, if prescribed, and closely following recommendations on how and when to take it.
4. Monitoring your blood glucose and blood pressure levels at home.
5. Keeping your appointments with your healthcare providers and having laboratory tests completed as ordered by your doctor.
6. Quitting smoking (if you smoke).

You have a lot of control – on a day-to-day basis – in managing your diabetes. Changing your eating habits and moving your body can reverse Type 2 Diabetes and Prediabetes.