More than 40 million people in the U.S. are living with diabetes. Because diabetes touches so many lives, it’s worth knowing a few facts.
1. There are three main types. With type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t make insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar by letting it into your cells for energy. With type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t use insulin properly. Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar levels during pregnancy.
2. It can lead to complications. With diabetes, excess sugar builds up in your bloodstream. Over time, it can damage your body and cause serious complications, like eye, kidney and heart disease.
3. Your age and lifestyle can affect your risk. Diabetes can run in families. Type 1 diabetes usually develops in children or young adults. For type 2, risk factors include:
• Being 45 or older.
• Having excess weight.
• Exercising fewer than three times a week.
• Having had gestational diabetes or given birth to a baby who weighed over nine pounds.
4. You can have diabetes and not even know it. That’s why it’s so important to ask your doctor when to get screened with a simple blood test. When diabetes symptoms do develop, they may include:
• Increased urination and thirst.
• Increased hunger, even after eating.
• Blurred vision.
• Slow-healing sores.
• Frequent infections.
5. You can lower your risk. Doctors don’t have a prevention plan for type 1 diabetes yet. But maintaining a healthy weight; eating a healthy, balanced diet; and exercising regularly can help lower your risk for type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes.
6. Diabetes is manageable with your provider’s help. If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, a healthy lifestyle may help you control it. You might also need insulin or other medicines. Your healthcare team can tell you when and how often to check your blood sugar, as well as help you plan healthy meals. Taking charge of diabetes can help you feel better and prevent or delay complications.
Your Watson Clinic
Family Medicine,
Internal Medicine or
Endocrinology specialist can help you keep your diabetes under control and provide swift referrals when additional specialized care is needed. Call 863-680-7190 to schedule an appointment.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases