I recently learned that a friend of mine has been diagnosed with Type II diabetes. She was pretty scared after talking with her doctor about the long-term effects of diabetes. I’ve heard for years about how important it is to control blood sugar but I never understood why.
Diabetes, she tells me, means that your body is unable to regulate the amount of sugar in its blood. Either your body does not produce insulin (Type I) or it cannot use the insulin it makes (Type II) properly. As blood sugar levels increase the body’s chemistry is thrown off. Organs and nerve systems begin to malfunction, at first just a little bit but gradually over time things get worse.
Eventually the body’s ability to regulate itself in other ways decreases. Cholesterol is another substance that begins to get out of control when your blood sugar stays high. As your cholesterol increases the body begins to store it in layers between arteries and healthy tissue. This cholesterol buildup eventually blocks arteries or ruptures and causes blood clots.
If a blood clot forms it can move through your body and cut off circulation in critical areas. Poor circulation in your hands and feet may mean your limbs die and have to be amputated. A blood clot in your heart or lungs could kill you. A blood clot that moves toward your brain might also kill you or cause a stroke.
Diabetics are encouraged to increase their activity. Walking more or engaging in real physical exercise not only helps the body burn calories it activates the metabolism. Foods and sugars are burned off more quickly. 15 minutes of vigorous exercise may activate your metabolism for up to 30 minutes.
You also need to change your diet. You need to eat a more even mix of calories, drawing about the same amounts from protein, fat, and carbohydrates. That is not easy to do with today’s foods because most fast foods and store bought foods pack on the carbohydrates. Low-fat foods don’t help because they are not balanced.
There is a lot you need to know when you have diabetes. It’s not just that you need to lose weight. You have to truly change your lifestyle. Living healthy and eating healthy improve your chances of living longer and being able to enjoy life better — even when you have not been diagnosed with diabetes.
More information can be found at http://www.diabetes.org/.
