Diabetes Alert:
Time to Make a Plan to Prevent This Widespread Disease
More than nine million women in the United States have diabetes, and three million of them don’t realize it. Could you be one of them?
November is American Diabetes Month: a good time to learn more about how to prevent and detect this condition. For women, it’s a particularly important topic: Women with diabetes are at increased risk for a heart attack, and pregnant women with diabetes are at increased risk for a miscarriage or birth defects, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Left untreated, diabetes can have serious, even life-threatening, consequences.
So let’s take a look at symptoms and risk factors –
plus 11 simple ways to prevent diabetes.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is when the body’s blood sugar (glucose) level remains too high. In type 1 diabetes, the body is unable to make insulin, the hormone that regulates blood glucose. In type 2 diabetes, the most common form, the body makes too little insulin or is unable to process the insulin properly.
Who’s At Risk?
According to Mary Lou Perry, MS, RD, CDE, a certified diabetes educator at the University of Virginia Health System and member of the Club Red Clinic team, you are at an increased risk of diabetes if you:
- Are 45 or older
- Have a family history of diabetes
- Are more than 20 percent overweight
- Have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol or pre-diabetes
- Are sedentary or exercise little
- Developed diabetes while pregnant or gave birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
- Have dark, thick and velvety skin patches around your neck and armpits
- Have been diagnosed
with polycystic ovary syndrome
High-risk groups for diabetes include blacks, Native Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans/Pacific Islanders. Perry notes that women in those groups are two to four times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than white women.
Watch for Warning Signs
- The warning signs of
diabetes include:
- Frequent trips to the bathroom
- Nagging hunger or thirst
- Unexplained weight loss
- Bruises or cuts that heal slowly
- Blurry vision
- Fatigue
- Numbness or
tingling in your hands or feet
If you are 45 or older, Perry suggests you get tested for type 2 diabetes. If your results are normal, great. But get tested every three years.
11 Simple Steps to Prevent Diabetes
Perry urges anyone concerned about diabetes to “eat less, move more.” Maintaining a healthy weight is extremely important, she says. She recommends these little changes to make a big difference:
- Eat at least
three servings of fruit daily.
- Eat meals or
snacks at regular times.
- Replace high-fat snacks with crunchy fruits and vegetables or a tablespoon or two of nuts.
- Take your time
with your food. Eat slowly and savor.
- Drink a glass
of water 10 minutes before eating (reduces your hunger).
- Consider
serving your food on a small plate, such as a salad or breakfast plate, to make
the portion look larger.
- Go easy on the
dessert – try sharing one with a friend.
- Take the
stairs instead of an elevator.
- Deliver messages in person rather than by email.
- Park as far as possible from the store.
- Play some tunes while cleaning vigorously.
Turn to the Experts
To learn more, visit the diabetes site at the University of Virginia Health System or call the Club Red Clinic at 434.243.1000.
UVA doctors have the resources and expertise to provide innovative care for this complex condition. UVA’s many offerings include a free diabetes support group held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at 415 Ray C. Hunt Drive in Charlottesville, Va.
If you have any additional questions or concerns about diabetes, speak with your physician. And remember, if you are 45 or older, get tested for type 2 diabetes. If your results are normal, get tested every three years.
Raise Your Hand to Stop Diabetes
Recent estimates* project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to change things. The American Diabetes Association is asking individuals to take a pledge and “raise their hand to stop diabetes.” Take the pledge on Facebook during November 2011 (American Diabetes Month).
*From the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
