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The
following information is about type 2
diabetes and describes how prevalent the problems is, who should get
screened for the disease, and what
you can do to prevent or treat it.
The healthy lifestyle changes described here are healthy for everyone, not just those with or at risk of diabetes.
The great thing about healthy
lifestyle changes is that they’re in your hands—no prescription needed! (Though,
if you are diagnosed with diabetes and told to take a medication by your
doctor, you should.)
Lifestyle
changes can help those with diabetes cut down their need for many medications
and are always a good idea unless you’ve been specifically told by a doctor not
to make them.
I
have also included a link to a patient handout that I created with the same information written below in
case you’d like to print it out for you or someone you know. Any healthcare professionals reading this are welcome to print the handout and give to their patients free of charge and without asking permission. (If you do use it, please do send a message if you find it helpful!)
TYPE 2 DIABETES: Facts & Lifestyle-based Treatments
What IS diabetes: Diabetes refers to a group of diseases that cause your body to
mishandle your blood sugar, resulting in high blood sugar. If left untreated,
or not properly treated, high blood sugars can damage nearly all of the organs
in your body.
Facts about Type 2 Diabetes:
- Approximately 1 out of every 10 people in the US
have diabetes,1 but
- More than 1 in 4 people with diabetes (8 million
people in the US) don’t know that they have the disease.2
- Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of
death in the US.2
The good news is that diabetes is treatable with a combination
of lifestyle changes and other treatments prescribed by your doctor.
For some people diagnosed with diabetes early on, the disease can even
be reversed with the lifestyle changes described below!
Who is at risk and should be
screened for Type 2 Diabetes?3
- 45 years old and older
- Overweight or obese (Body Mass Index of 25 or
greater)
- Anyone with a first-degree relative who has
diabetes
- Those who do not exercise regularly
- Women with a history of diabetes during
pregnancy, who have delivered a baby weighing more than 9 pounds, or who have
polycystic ovarian syndrome
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Vascular or heart disease
- Anyone with a history of elevated blood sugar or
pre-diabetes
- If you have excessive thirst, frequent
urination, blurry vision, extreme hunger or unexplained weight loss.
How do I get
screened?
For most people, all that is required is a simple blood
test—you don’t even have to be fasting.
Other conditions that people
with Type 2 Diabetes are at risk of:
Depression
Heart disease
Stroke
Vascular disease
Kidney disease
Overweight
Obesity
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Nerve disease (neuropathy)
Eye disease
Bone disease
Sleep apnea
Hearing trouble
Fatty liver disease
Gum disease
Memory problems
Cancer
Reversing Type 2 Diabetes
& Preventing Complications with Lifestyle Changes
The lifestyle changes recommended to treat diabetes and
prevent complications are the same healthy lifestyle recommendations for
everyone. Enlist those you care about to make healthy lifestyle changes with
you—everyone wins!
1. Eat a Healthy Diet
o
Make ½ of your plate vegetables and fruits
(white potatoes don’t count)
o
Make ¼ of your plate whole grains
o
Make ¼ of your plate healthy proteins including
beans, fish, nuts, or poultry.
o
Use healthy oils (those liquid at room
temperature) and avoid trans fat
found in partially hydrogenated oils
o
Drink water, coffee, or tea; skip sugary drinks;
limit dairy to 1-2 servings per day.
2. Maintain a Healthy
Weight
- This means that a tape measure around your
waist, at the top of your hip bones, across your belly button measures less
than 40 inches for men, or 35 inches for women.
- Alternatively, you can measure your height and
weight, then input that information into this online body mass index calculator
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm
. A healthy body mass index is 18.5-24.9.
3. Engage in Regular
Physical Activity
- Minimum exercise recommendations are as follows,
but you get more benefit by doing even more!
o
150
minutes of moderate-intensity activity (e.g. brisk walking) per week —OR— 75 min. vigorous-intensity aerobic
activity (e.g. running) per week
—PLUS—
o
Strength
training of all major muscle groups 2+
days per week
4. Don’t smoke
- If you smoke or use tobacco ask your doctor, go
to www.smokefree.gov, or call
1-800-QUIT-NOW for help quitting.
5. Moderate your
alcohol intake
- If you don’t drink, don’t start.
- If you do drink,
women should drink no more than 1, and men should drink no more than 2,
standard-sized drinks per day (one 12 oz. can of beer, 5 oz. glass of wine, or 1.5
oz. “shot” of spirits).
1. C Li, et al. Surveillance of certain health behaviors and conditions
among states and selected local areas—Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance
System, United States, 2009. Centers for Disease Control. Surveill Summ. 2011
Aug;60(9):1-250.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes
Statistics Report: Estimates of Diabetes and Its Burden in the United States,
2014. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2014.
Chef Michelle Hauser, MD, MPA
© 2015
