Type 2 diabetes is becoming more and more common among not only Americans but those in many other countries such as Mexico, Canada, and Australia. That is because of poor lifestyle choices that include a high-fat diet (trans fats from fast food and junk food, not the foods with good fats such as fatty fish, nuts, and avocado as those foods can help reverse early symptoms) as well as foods that are high in sugar.
Type 2 diabetes that is not treated can lead to Type 1 diabetes which is much worse. The reason that Type 1 diabetes is much worse than Type 2 is that with Type 1, your pancreas can not make insulin at all and you have to have injections. With Type 2 diabetes, your pancreas can make some insulin but it either is not enough or it does not work well. You do not have to go on insulin injections if you have Type 2 diabetes if you control it well with diet, exercise, and taking other medications to help lower blood sugar.
However, you do not suddenly develop diabetes as the signs are there that you may end up with it when you have consistently high blood sugar, but not high enough to be considered diabetic. That is a sign of prediabetes and insulin resistance is a sign right there. Your pancreas makes insulin but it does not respond to the glucose in your bloodstream very well which means it does not transport it to your cells for energy. That is why your glucose levels in prediabetes are high but again, not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes.
How Do You Know If You Have Diabetes?
You may not know it at all. You may not have any symptoms of elevated blood sugar which can include fatigue, brain fog, and agitation. However, there is one sign that you may have that you share with 85 percent of others who are also prediabetic. And that is having excess fat around your abdomen.
If you have excess fat around your abdomen, then you are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes as you are very likely prediabetic. And your odds of developing it are higher if you have diabetes in your family history. However, if you do have excess fat around your abdomen, you do not need to panic because the good news is, you can reverse it and not have to worry about developing the condition. However, you have to make lifestyle changes immediately.
What Kind Of Lifestyle Changes To Make To Help Prevent Diabetes?
The first thing you need to do is if you suspect you have prediabetes, you need to see your doctor and have bloodwork done. And if your fasting blood sugar is high but not high enough to be considered diabetic, then you will need to be aware of your risks. And that means you do have prediabetes. However, your doctor will likely refer you to a registered dietician who can put you on a diet to help reverse the condition and you will need to also make time to be active in your day. If you live a sedentary lifestyle, that is not going to help you at all. Therefore, you need to become active so you do not risk further developing diabetes in addition to sticking to the diet that the dietician recommends.
And what if you do have Type 2 diabetes? It is not a death sentence either as long as you take care of yourself and treat it. If you keep the condition under control well, then you can still live a normal life span. But that will take extra work to do!
