Type II Diabetes What is it?

Today we are going to take a step back and look at what Type II diabetes is and how it effects us. There are two types of Diabetes, Type I, which is where the pancreas does not produce any Insulin. These Diabetics must take Insulin to move glucose from the blood into the bodies tissues.

In type II diabetes, glucose is not taken up normally from the blood into body tissues. The tissues are insulin resistant. Initially the pancreas is able to compensate for this extra blood glucose by increasing insulin production. Eventually, the pancreas cannot supply enough insulin to meet the body's demand, and blood sugars begin to rise. This early rise in blood sugars is known as impaired glucose tolerance(IGT). Diabetes will develop in 1% to 5% of individuals per year with IGT. (http://www.lakeside.ca/Patient_Info/diabetes_typeII.htm).

There is medication to help reduce the insulin resistance, but this must be paired with changes in your lifestyle. Medications have come a long way but is not a subsitute for Healthy Diet and exercise. Without a major change in your lifestyle there will be dire consequences to your health.

Signs and symptoms of type II diabetes include excessive thirst, frequent urination (especially at night), and increased appetite. Blurry vision and numbness in the toes or fingers may also occur. Most patients feel tired and may have slow-healing sores. Many individuals have no symptoms early in their disease. Type II diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in working adults in the United States. It is also a leading diagnosis of patients with end-stage renal disease who are receiving dialysis. It is a major cause of amputations and places patients at increased risk for coronary heart disease.

When I was diagnosed, my doctor told me how luck I was to be be diagnosed by him. He went on to say that in most cases the first diagnoses for Diabetes in men my age was when I was in the hospital for my first heart attack or stroke. Diabetes was my doing, nobody made me get fat or lazy. I had not seen a doctor for 7 years up to that point, so if you have been putting that physical off, call the doctor now and get one done.

All Diabetics should follow a low-fat, low-calorie diet. Perform Aerobic exercise at least 150 minuts per week (ADA recommendation) under physician guidance is beneficial. Many oral medications are now available for the treatment of diabetes, each with its own benefits and risks. Finally, insulin may be used for patients whose diabetes is not well controlled despite all the above measures. Insulin may also be temporarily used for patients who are sick or undergoing surgery.

Risk factors for heart disease must be controlled. Blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and body weight should be normalized. Cigarette smoking must be discontinued. Complications of diabetes must also be prevented. An annual eye examination by an ophthalmologist is recommended for all patients with type II diabetes. A urine test for protein is performed once a year. A foot examination is conducted regularly to detect early nerve damage.

Who's at risk for diabetes, Type II diabetes also tends to run in families. In fact there seems to be even stronger evidence for some kind of genetic cause for Type II than for Type I diabetes. Type II is more common among Asian, Hispanic, Native and African Americans.Although Type II diabetes usually develops after age 40, about half of all people diagnosed with the disease are older than 55. This may be because as people age, they tend to become more sedentary and to gain weight. Eating too much food and being inactive can make you obese and you are more likely to develop Type II diabetes if you are obese. Obesity is, by far, the greatest risk factor for this kind of diabetes.Where the weight is distributed seems to be a factor, too. If you tend to have an apple-shaped body in which you store fat around the tummy, you are more at risk for Type II diabetes. Those with a pear shape in which fat is stored in the hips are somewhat less at risk.(http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/diabetes/risk.asp)

If you are at risk with diabetes, diet and exercise are found to help stave off the onset and symptoms. Type 2 Diabetes can be delayed or prevented. There is consistent evidence that 'at-risk' people can slow the onset and fight the disease with a regimin of rigorous exercise (30 minutes a day/5 days a week) and a balanced low sugar diet (with a goal of losing 2 to 7 percent body weight and avoiding trigger foods).(http://www.treatmentsfor.net/2006/06/how-to-prevent-diabetes/)

I hope this has been informative it is a very high level discussion on what diabetes is and how to prevent the disease. This is by no means a complete look or discussion, just an overview that hopefully will raise ones awareness and begin to ask questions.

The Diabetic Runner
Harry Jacobs