This blog post was written by Kristen Peairs, Nutritionist and Meditation Guru at Nivati. You can see more of their content on the Nivati platform and on the Nivati blog. If you want to learn more about Nivati, click here.
Even though the subject of diabetes is frequently addressed through a wide array of venues such as TV, radio, magazines, and doctor’s offices, how many of us can accurately answer the question, “What is diabetes?” In this article we’ll talk about what diabetes is and how to prevent it.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects how our body uses energy from food. The type of energy the body prefers comes from glucose, a specific form of sugar. It is glucose that feeds all of the organs and cells that keep us alive and functioning throughout the day.
A person with diabetes has problems with having too much glucose or sugar in their blood and not enough in their cells.
In a healthy person, blood glucose levels rise and fall throughout the day. When glucose levels are high, the body releases insulin which cues the cells to absorb the glucose. When glucose levels are low, the body releases stored glucose, called glycogen, from the liver to help maintain energy stability.
In a diabetic person, blood glucose levels fluctuate erratically, going too high or too low which wreaks havoc with every cell in the body.
Prevalence and Costs of Diabetes
The cost of diabetes is high.
According to the American Diabetes Association,
· 11.3% of the US population has diabetes
· $90 billion of productivity is lost due to diabetes
· Average medical expenditures for people diagnosed with diabetes are 2.3 times higher than for people without the diagnosis.
With over one-tenth of the US population suffering from diabetes, it’s worth taking the time to learn how to care for your body to maintain its health.
The Most Common Type of Diabetes
The most common type of diabetes is type 2 diabetes. Ninety to ninety-five percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes are type 2.
Before there is type 2 diabetes, there is pre-diabetes. In pre-diabetes, blood glucose levels are high, but no other symptoms of diabetes are present. Pre-diabetes typically becomes type 2 Diabetes unless changes to diet and lifestyle occur.
If pre-diabetes develops into type 2 diabetes, high glucose plus other symptoms are present.
Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes
· High blood glucose levels during a fast-acting blood sugar test
· Excessive urination, hunger, and thirst
· Sudden weight loss
· Fatigue and irritability
· Weakness
· Recurrent infections and slow healing sores
Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes
Some of the risk factors for type 2 diabetes include being
- Overweight
- Older than 45 years old,
- A smoker,
- Active less than three times a week, and/or
- From a family with a history of diabetes.
How to Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
In order to help prevent type 2, let’s briefly review how blood glucose levels work.
When we consume food, our body digests the food by turning it into glucose and absorbing it into the bloodstream. When glucose is detected in the bloodstream, the pancreas secretes insulin. The insulin prompts cells to absorb the glucose and then the cells use the glucose to stay alive and healthy.
In a person with diabetes, a few factors are occurring. The pancreas stops producing enough insulin and/or the body’s cells have stopped properly responding to the insulin. When cells stop responding to insulin, the glucose cannot enter the cells and so the cells starve.
Returning to the topic of how to prevent type 2 diabetes, the top two most common points of focus are food choices and exercise habits. Other factors that affect blood glucose levels include stress and hormonal cycles (such as the menstrual cycle).
- Mindful food choices
The foods we choose to eat vary in how they affect blood glucose levels. When eating to support healthy blood glucose levels, choose fiber-containing foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and whole grains. These foods take longer for your body to absorb which prevents a large quantity of glucose from entering your blood all at once. Highly refined foods such as chips, cookies, white bread, and pasta typically raise blood glucose levels faster than the fiber-containing foods because there is no fiber to slow down absorption. Lean high protein foods such as meat, poultry, and fish are blood glucose neutral.
- Regular exercise
While the health benefits of exercise have long been broadcast through the airwaves, many of us still don’t move enough. Research shows that 150 minutes of aerobic exercise spread over three days in a week is an ideal amount of movement to help cells be more receptive to insulin. When cells are more receptive to insulin, blood glucose levels are more likely to stay in a healthy range.
- Stress reduction
How we react to stress affects our blood sugar levels. When we become stressed, our body releases stored glucose into the bloodstream. Then, the pancreas releases insulin and the insulin prompts the cells to take in the glucose. Once the glucose is in the cells, the cells use the glucose to make energy. In a healthy body, this scenario is perfect. Unfortunately, being in constant stress, as is common for many of us, damages the pancreas’s efficacy in producing insulin and the ability of the cells to utilize it. Learning how to manage stress differently through activities such as mental health sessions, mindfulness training, and meditation can make a big difference in how we feel and how our blood glucose levels respond.
- Hormonal care
Hormones, which are naturally produced substances in all people, help regulate body processes. Epinephrine and norepinephrine are hormones associated with stress. Progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone are hormones associated with reproduction and sex drive. Insulin, too, is a hormone. Hormones work together to help keep our bodies in balance. During certain points in a woman’s menstrual cycle, blood glucose is naturally elevated. In men, low testosterone and high glucose frequently go together. Hormones are part of life and we can support them through learning about how they relate with each other and how they support us. As we better understand how they support us, we can more easily support them through the foods we eat and the activities we choose.
Diabetes and the Workplace
Since the average American spends nearly half of their waking hours preparing for work, working, and then winding down from work, it makes sense that the workplace can greatly contribute to diabetes prevention for employees. Through offering incentives to schedule yearly health screenings, to providing opportunities for better nutrition through workday snacks and more movement through group exercise, to delivering support for mental health care, the workplace can make a difference in the health of its employees.
The subject of diabetes prevention for employees is vast, but even a small amount of education and support can open new paths toward a healthier workforce.
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