What are the symptoms of diabetes?

Many of my patients are truly surprised by their diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.  Unless your blood glucose levels are very high you will not have symptoms, which is why about one-third of individuals with diabetes are undiagnosed.
The most common symptoms of diabetes are: frequent urination, extreme thirst, and blurred vision. But before those symptoms occur individuals may notice that they don't have much energy, they are tired all of the time, especially after a heavy meal.  Are you falling asleep in the chair immediately after eating lunch or dinner?  Have you noticed that cuts or sores take a long time to heal?  These are other symptoms of diabetes than many individuals totally ignore, they think because they are getting older they don't have much energy and cuts do take longer to heal.
Diabetes is a subtle disease, our bodies try very hard to keep our blood glucose levels at normal levels but eventually the demand for more and more insulin is overwhelms our pancreases  and suddenly blood glucose levels begin to rise.
Today we actually are actively trying to identify individuals who have pre-diabetes, with the hope that if we can have these individuals make a few simple lifestyle changes we can actually prevent them from developing diabetes.  Diabetes is diagnosed by a either a fasting blood glucose level or a hemoglobin A1C test that determines an average blood glucose over the past three months.  A fasting blood glucose level should be less than 100 mg/dl, pre-diabetes diagnosis is 100-125 mg/dl, and a diabetes diagnosis is 126 mg/dl and above.  If your doctor does an A1C test (this test measures the sugar-coating on your red blood cells, these cells live for 3 months so it provides a 3 month average).  A normal A1C level is below 5.7 the diagnosis of pre-diabetes  is made at 5.7-6.4 % and diabetes at 6.5%.
If you are overweight, have a family history of diabetes, have high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol, are of American Indian, African-American, Hispanic, or Pacific Islander descent you should be screened yearly.
We can prevent diabetes by losing 5-7% of our body weight, we don't have to lose a lot to make a difference and to walk for 30 minutes 5 days a week.
So I encourage you to begin a physical activity program today. You do not have to become an athlete, just start moving - march in place, sit in the chair and march while watching tv commercials, dance, garden, do water aerobics.  Find something you enjoy.  Physical activity will not only prevent diabetes, it will  reduce your risk of heart disease, it will prevent depression, it will improve your energy levels, and it will make you feel better.
Keep Healthy,
Kathy Gold

Are you at risk for type 2 diabetes?

I hope over the next few months to provide a better understanding about diabetes and how it may be prevented.
So are you at risk of developing type 2 diabetes?

• Are you over 40?  
• Are you overweight or obese (here is a link to a BMI calculator so you can determine if you are at risk - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/BMI/bmicalc.htm )
• Do you have family history of diabetes?  
• Are you from a high risk ethnic group - African American, Pacific Islander, American Indian, Hispanic-American, or Asian-American?
•  Do you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol?  
• Did you deliver a baby over 9 pounds or have gestational diabetes?  

In a very large research study done in the early 2000's, it was found that 60% of individuals who had risk factors for diabetes who lost 5-7%  of their body weight and walked for 30 minutes 5 days a week reduced their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by almost 60%.  I think this is a message that is important to get out to the public - physical activity, simple walking can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  How many of you are walking or doing some form of physical activity every day?  We are always so busy and although we always seem to find time to eat we don't seem to make as much of an effort to engage in some form of physical activity.
So I challenge you to begin a walking program, or engage in some form of physical activity.  Water walking, water aerobics are great activities for this time of the year.  Enjoy the pleasant weather and walk early in the day or in the evening. Make an appointment to engage in some form of physical activity at least 5 days a week if you want to lose weight and 3 days a week if you want to maintain your weight.  Take advantage of the bike trail or neighborhood parks and pools.

Stay Healthy,

Lion Kathy Gold