By Hunter Nguyen
October 2023 | 2023 Fall Newsletter
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 37.3 million Americans, or 11.3% of the population, had diabetes in 2019. In the same year, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
Diabetes is a disease that makes it harder to make or use insulin. Insulin helps control our blood sugar levels. Without insulin, our body’s blood sugar levels can be too high, which can lead to serious health problems.
According to the American Diabetes Association and the National Institute on Aging, symptoms of diabetes include tiredness, blurred vision, needing to pee
more often, feeling more hungry or thirsty, and slower healing from cuts or bruises. Diabetes can also raise your risk of other health problems, such as heart disease, kidney issues, eye problems, nerve damage, and strokes.
There are two main types of diabetes. With type 1 diabetes, the body produces little to no insulin. Type 1 diabetes is usually found when people are children or young adults, who then have diabetes for life. With type 2 diabetes, the body either does not make enough insulin or does not use insulin well. Some risks for type 2 diabetes include having a family history of diabetes, lack of regular exercise, and being overweight.
Often, before type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, a person may have prediabetes. Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. About 96 million American adults—more than 1 in 3—have prediabetes and more than 80% don’t know they have it. A person who knows they have prediabetes can make changes to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes.
The risks of becoming a type 2 diabetic can be lowered by lessening sugar and saturated fats in food and being physically active for at least 30 minutes a day. It is recommended to eat foods with healthy fats, such as nuts, seeds, fish, and avocado, and choosing olive oil for cooking. Limiting foods that are fried, high in salt, high in sugar, and fats that are solid at room temperature, such as meat fats, dairy, and coconut oil, is also recommended.
Make exercise part of your daily routine. Walking, swimming, bike riding, gardening, and sitting exercises are all low impact forms of physical activity that can make a big difference in preventing type 2 diabetes.
For more information, visit the American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (niddk.nih.gov) websites.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 37.3 million Americans, or 11.3% of the population, had diabetes in 2019. In the same year, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
Diabetes is a disease that makes it harder to make or use insulin. Insulin helps control our blood sugar levels. Without insulin, our body’s blood sugar levels can be too high, which can lead to serious health problems.
According to the American Diabetes Association and the National Institute on Aging, symptoms of diabetes include tiredness, blurred vision, needing to pee more often, feeling more hungry or thirsty, and slower healing from cuts or bruises. Diabetes can also raise your risk of other health problems, such as heart disease, kidney issues, eye problems, nerve damage, and strokes.
There are two main types of diabetes. With type 1 diabetes, the body produces little to no insulin. Type 1 diabetes is usually found when people are children or young adults, who then have diabetes for life. With type 2 diabetes, the body either does not make enough insulin or does not use insulin well. Some risks for type 2 diabetes include having a family history of diabetes, lack of regular exercise, and being overweight.
Often, before type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, a person may have prediabetes. Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. About 96 million American adults—more than 1 in 3—have prediabetes and more than 80% don’t know they have it. A person who knows they have prediabetes can make changes to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes.
The risks of becoming a type 2 diabetic can be lowered by lessening sugar and saturated fats in food and being physically active for at least 30 minutes a day. It is recommended to eat foods with healthy fats, such as nuts, seeds, fish, and avocado, and choosing olive oil for cooking. Limiting foods that are fried, high in salt, high in sugar, and fats that are solid at room temperature, such as meat fats, dairy, and coconut oil, is also recommended.
Make exercise part of your daily routine. Walking, swimming, bike riding, gardening, and sitting exercises are all low impact forms of physical activity that can make a big difference in preventing type 2 diabetes.
For more information, visit the American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (niddk.nih.gov) websites.