Almost 95% of people with diabetes have type 2 – a chronic disease that develops so slowly most people do not even realize they have it for as long as ten years. Not treating type 2 diabetes produces serious health problems. Asking your doctor to check your blood for type 2 diabetes is very important to avoid additional health problems.
So, what is type 2 diabetes? With type 2 diabetes, insulin is produced in the body but it does not work well enough to help the sugar get from your blood into your cells to give you energy. When this happens, your body’s cells begin to die causing problems. Insulin is like a car in your body and sugar is its passenger. If a car is broken down, it can’t take you where it needs to go. The same goes for insulin and sugar; when you don’t have enough insulin you get sugar built up in your blood because the insulin cannot help it get into your cells.
Researchers are really not sure what causes type 2 diabetes. They do, however, know some things that put people at risk for getting the disease. Some risk factors include:
- Being overweight
- Being over the age of 30
- Being African American, Hispanic, or Native American
- Giving birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
- Having high cholesterol
- Having high blood pressure (140/90)
People do not get type 2 diabetes because they have a “sweet tooth.” Sweets can make you gain weight and put you at high risk for diabetes, but just because you like to eat sweets, does not mean you will develop type 2 diabetes.
There is no such thing as a “touch of sugar” or being “borderline diabetic.” Either you have diabetes or you don’t. Research shows that even if your blood sugar levels are slightly higher they can be treated.
In addition to the risk factors, there are also symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Ask yourself these questions. Do you:
- feel thirsty all the time?
- have to use the restroom often?
- often feel tired or hungry?
- lose weight without trying?
- have sores that take a long time to heal?
- have dry itchy skin?
- have less feeling or experience tingling in the feet?
- have blurry eyesight?
The more questions you answered “yes,” the more likely you are to have diabetes. Diabetes is a serious disease that does not go away. However, people with diabetes can control it. After the age of 45, you should have your blood sugar level checked every 3 years. Ask your doctor to include this important test in your physical exam. If your sugars are even a little high, your doctor and registered dietician can help you lower them.
