You Can Prevent Diabetes

LIVING WELL — By Staff on February 22, 2012 12:48 am

African Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes and its literally destroying healthy lives and families. It’s key to understand that diabetes is preventable and manageable. When you know better, do better.

Basically, while diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar, type 2 diabetes is associated with insulin resistance. While there is an element of impaired insulin secretion when toxic levels of glucose occur (e.g. blood sugars are constantly very high), the major culprit is the body’s inability to respond properly to insulin.

Nilka Rios Burrows, a researcher at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are things people can do to lower their risk of type 2 diabetes.

“Number one, exercise regularly. Two, lose weight. And three, eat a healthy diet. Those age 45 and older and those with risk factors for type 2 diabetes should be tested every three years for type 2 diabetes. Burrows said those with type 2 diabetes should also be “seeing a doctor regularly.”

There are tests to check your risk for type 2 diabetes, but to identify the two main factors simply requires a good family history (genetics) and a bathroom scale. Exercise is beneficial even without weight loss in the prevention of type 2 diabete but even more beneficial with weight loss. It’s also important to not smoke and if you do, quit right away. There are medications available that have been shown in large trials to delay or prevent the onset of overt diabetes. Use of these medications requires a detailed discussion of pros and cons with your doctor as there are side effects to consider.

And again CDC researcher, Nilka Burrows says, “controlling your blood sugar, your blood pressure and your cholesterol. And getting dilated eye exams, foot exams and flu shots annually,” she said. “So talk to your doctor about how you can manage and take control of your diabetes.”