November is American Diabetes Month. Let’s get up to speed on this common disorder.

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic condition that affects how your body uses food for energy. When you eat, your body breaks down the food into a simple sugar called glucose, which enters your body’s cells with the help of insulin, a hormone produced by special beta cells in your pancreas. When the amount of glucose in your blood increases, it signals the pancreas to release insulin.

With diabetes, either your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or your body stops responding to the insulin made, a condition called insulin resistance. When this occurs, too much glucose accumulates in your blood, called hyperglycemia. Untreated hyperglycemia can lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease, kidney disease, nerve damage and vision loss.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 34.2 million US adults have diabetes, and one in five don’t know they have it. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the US and the number one cause of kidney failure, lower limb amputations and adult blindness. The number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled in the last 20 years.

There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and gestational. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. It occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the beta cells in your pancreas, so no insulin gets produced. The reason for the attack is not known, but genetics may play a role. It’s also possible that a virus sets off the immune system’s attack.

Type 1 diabetes is most often diagnosed in children and teens but can occur at any age. People with this type of diabetes must take insulin every day to stay alive.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body develops insulin resistance and glucose builds up in your blood. It’s the most common type of diabetes, accounting for 90 to 95 percent of diabetes cases. You can develop Type 2 diabetes at any age but it’s most often diagnosed in people ages 45 and older. A combination of genetics and lifestyle factors are believed to cause this type of diabetes.

You are at a greater risk for developing Type 2 diabetes if you are overweight; have a family history of diabetes; have a family history of high blood pressure; have had gestational diabetes or gave birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds; are African-American, Native-American, Latin-American or Asian-Pacific Islander or live a sedentary lifestyle.

In many cases, Type 2 diabetes can be managed by controlling your weight, exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. Sometimes, people with Type 2 diabetes must take medication or inject insulin to control their blood glucose levels.

Gestational diabetes occurs in women who are pregnant and usually resolves after they give birth. It develops when the placenta produces hormones that make your cells less sensitive to the effects of insulin. If you have gestational diabetes, your baby is at a higher risk for health problems, such as excessive birth weight, early (preterm) birth, breathing problems, low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) and even stillbirth.

Further, you and your baby are at a greater risk for developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.

Treatment for gestational diabetes typically includes special meal plans and scheduled physical activity. You may have to inject insulin if you cannot manage your glucose level with diet and exercise alone.

If you have any type of diabetes, it’s important that you check your blood glucose level frequently throughout the day.

Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood glucose level is elevated but not high enough to warrant a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. In the US, 88 million adults, more than one in three, have prediabetes, and 84 percent of them don’t know they have it. Having prediabetes raises your risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Each type of diabetes has its own symptoms, but there are some general symptoms. These include increased hunger, increased thirst, weight loss, frequent urination, blurry vision, extreme fatigue and sores that don’t heal.

There are certain blood tests your doctor will use to make a diagnosis of prediabetes and diabetes. The fasting plasma glucose test measures your blood glucose after you’ve not eaten anything for eight hours. The A1c test provides a view of your blood glucose levels over the previous three months.

The glucose challenge test checks your blood glucose level an hour after you drink a sugary liquid, and the glucose tolerance test checks your glucose level after you fast overnight and then drink a sugary liquid.

Women who are pregnant are typically tested for gestational diabetes between the 24th and 28th weeks of their pregnancy.

If you eat a healthy diet, control your weight, exercise regularly and follow your doctor’s instructions for taking any medications, if required, you can successfully manage your diabetes and live a full and active life.

The cells in your body need a steady source of energy to function. They get it from a simple sugar called glucose that is released when the food you eat is broken down. But glucose can’t get into your cells on its own. It needs the help of insulin, a hormone produced by the beta cells of your pancreas.

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease that develops when your pancreas doesn’t produce insulin or your body can’t use insulin efficiently, a condition called insulin resistance. Without insulin, glucose builds up in your bloodstream and your cells are starved of the energy they need to survive. This can lead to complications with your eyes, heart, kidneys and nerves. In severe cases, it can lead to coma and death.

The National Diabetes Statistics Report 2020, released by the CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation, revealed that 34.2 million Americans – just over 1 in 10 – have diabetes. Another 88 million – approximately 1 in 3 American adults – have prediabetes, a condition in which your blood glucose level is high but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. More than 84 percent of people with prediabetes don’t know they have it.

There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and gestational.

With type 1 diabetes, your pancreas doesn’t produce insulin because your immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys its beta cells. People with this type must take supplemental insulin every day. Type 1 is typically diagnosed in children, adolescents and young adults, but can occur at any age. About 5 to 10 percent of people with diabetes have type 1.

Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy. It affects up to 10 percent of pregnant women in the US each year. With gestational diabetes, the placenta — which provides oxygen and nutrients for the growing baby – produces hormones that block the action of the mother’s insulin. It can lead to complications for the mother and baby.

In many cases, gestational diabetes can be treated effectively with diet and exercise alone. But in other cases, the mother must take oral diabetes medications or insulin injections to stabilize her blood glucose levels. Gestational diabetes typically resolves after the mother gives birth, but she is at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type, affecting 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes. It is typically diagnosed in people 45 years old and older and is characterized by insulin resistance. This type is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. You are at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes if you have a family history of diabetes, are overweight or obese, are physically inactive or have prediabetes.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include: increased hunger or thirst, frequent urination, weight loss, blurry vision, extreme fatigue and sores that are slow to heal. The diagnosis is generally made using a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test, A1C test or random plasma glucose (RPG) test. These tests measure the level of glucose in your blood. A consistently high level indicates diabetes.

Treatment for type 2 diabetes begins with lifestyle changes. These include eating a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein such as poultry and fish. You should also avoid saturated and trans fats, exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight and stop smoking. If lifestyle changes aren’t enough to lower your glucose level, you may need to take medication or insulin.

By living a healthy lifestyle – eating properly, exercising regularly, not smoking and taking your medication as needed – you can manage your blood glucose and defeat diabetes!

Obesity is a huge problem in our country, pun intended. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one third (37.9 percent) of adults aged 20 and over in the US are obese, which is defined as having a Body Mass Index of 30 or above. Obesity puts people at risk for a number of health problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

One of the most common health conditions associated with obesity is diabetes, specifically Type 2 diabetes. These conditions are so intricately entwined that experts have coined the term “diabesity” to describe their relationship. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 95 percent of all cases of diabetes in the US, and more than 90 percent of people with the disorder are overweight or obese.

Our bodies need energy to function, and they get that energy from the food we eat. During digestion, food is broken down into a sugar called glucose that travels through the bloodstream. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, is like a key. It opens up your body’s cells to let the glucose enter to be used by the cells as fuel.

Some people’s bodies don’t make enough, or any, insulin, or they don’t use insulin appropriately, and glucose remains in the blood instead of getting into the cells. When the glucose level in your blood is too high, you’ve got diabetes. High glucose levels can damage many parts of the body, including the eyes, heart, kidneys, nerves and feet. With Type 2 diabetes, your body does not make or use insulin properly. Its onset can occur at any time, but it most often starts when people are middle-aged or older.

Many studies have demonstrated a link between obesity and diabetes, but just how diabesity occurs is complex and yet to be understood fully. What we do know is that people who are overweight or obese put added pressure on their bodies’ ability to use insulin properly to control glucose levels in their blood. This makes them more susceptible to developing diabetes.

One way obesity may lead to diabetes is by triggering changes in your metabolism, the processes that occur in your body in order to function. It’s believed that these changes cause fat tissue to release fat molecules into the blood. The increased fat in the blood affects the cells that are responsive to insulin and reduces insulin sensitivity. Calorie-dense foods leads to increased fat accumulation, and calorie-dense diets are common with overweight individuals.

When the body has to store excess fat and cannot properly control insulin levels in the blood, substances called free fatty acids are deposited in the liver, causing a condition known as fatty liver. Free fatty acids also move through the circulatory system causing reactions within other organs such as the pancreas, heart and muscles. This starts a vicious cycle of organ damage, inflammation, and deteriorating insulin resistance and insulin secretion from the pancreas.

Where the fat accumulates on your body is also a factor in diabesity. If your fat is primarily located around your belly, which is a predictor of visceral fat that lies around your internal organs, you are at an increased risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Like diets high in fat and carbohydrates, visceral fat is associated with worsening insulin resistance.

It’s no surprise that major factors contributing to diabesity are chronic unhealthy behaviors, including eating a high-calorie diet and avoiding physical activity. We know weight loss has a beneficial effect on blood glucose control and fat metabolism, so lifestyle modification through changes in diet and exercise is generally the first diabesity management strategy. If you are also taking diabetes medications, your doses will have to be reviewed regularly, as they may need to be adjusted as you lose weight.

In certain cases, weight loss medications may be used to assist those with diabesity achieve and sustain substantial weight reduction. For some people, a surgical weight loss option, such as a gastric band or bypass, is a good choice, especially if they’ve not achieved positive results with lifestyle modification and medication therapies.

With 90 percent of people with Type 2 diabetes being overweight or obese, diabesity is expensive, too. More than one in five US health care dollars are spent on diabetes, about $245 billion. That doesn’t include the indirect costs of absenteeism, reduced work productivity, inability to work and lost workers due to premature death, accounting for another $68.6 billion.

Because it can damage many organs and tissues, diabesity lowers quality of life as well. If you are overweight, especially if you notice any symptoms of diabetes, have your blood glucose level checked by your doctor. Type 2 diabetes doesn’t always have symptoms, but some of the possible symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, hunger, fatigue and blurred vision.

Don’t wait until diabesity damages your body, get tested today, and get on the road to weight loss and glucose control. And a healthier, higher quality of life!