Normal Blood Sugar Levels and Diabetes

The profile of a potential candidate for developing diabetes and how to prevent the occurrence are discussed below. But first an introduction to the disease that is reaching epidemic proportions in America — at great cost to the individual and to the healthcare system.

Diabetes and above normal blood sugars
All types of diabetes are the result of higher than normal blood sugars, in the form of the simple sugar glucose, that circulate throughout the body of the person with the disease.

Glucose, necessary but sometimes damaging
The glucose is needed by the cells of the body but when the normal uptake of glucose by the cells is impaired, as it is when diabetes exists, excess glucose stays in the bloodstream and can eventually cause damage to the tissues and organs of the body if the condition is not soon corrected. To counter the condition requires that the elevated blood sugars be brought back to a safer level.

What causes diabetes?
What triggers the onset of events in the body that lead to diabetes is unknown, it is possible that there may be hereditary or lifestyle factors — there certainly appears to be a direct link to excess body weight and obesity.

Type-1, Type-2, and Gestational Diabetes
When the topic of diabetes arises in conversation, as it does more frequently these days due to the media focusing more attention on the seriousness of the disease and its increasing rate of diagnosis throughout the world, we tend to think only of Type-2 Diabetes, the more prevalent form of the disease that comprises about 90 percent or more of all cases of diabetes.

However, there are two other primary forms of the disease, equally serious to those afflicted by them, known as Type-1 Diabetes and Gestational Diabetes.

Type-1 diabetes
Formerly known as Juvenile Diabetes, this diabetes affects about 5% of the diabetic population and is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. Type-1 diabetes is a condition in which the body does not produce insulin. Insulin is the hormone normally produced by the organ in the body called the pancreas. Different from the type-2 form of diabetes, type-1 requires daily injections of insulin but with proper blood sugar management, a productive, long and happy life can follow.  Young children too, although requiring constant supervision, can adapt to the restrictions and learn to manage their condition.

Gestational Diabetes
An explanation of gestational diabetes can be found elsewhere on this site at Understanding Gestational Diabetes.

Can diabetes be cured?
No, there is no cure, once medically diagnosed, diabetes becomes a fact of life, always present, diminishing the quality of life — but it can be controlled and managed, mainly through dietary modification and exercise that focuses on bringing blood sugar levels to within a safer range allowing the pursuit of a near-normal life.

But in reality, for many people it does not happen that easily, and the battle to control blood sugar levels, even with the aid of prescription medications, can be difficult — and in some cases can be frustrating and depressing.

A typical profile of a candidate for diabetes:

• Being over 40 to 45 years of age
• Being overweight, especially if substantially overweight
• Leading a sedentary life with little physical activity
• Having a family history of diabetes
• Being of an ethnic group that is known to have a higher incidence of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is more common in people who are descendants of Latin Americans, African Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans.

Prevention is the answer, it takes effort, but . . .
Anyone in the above category should make prevention their priority — the optional steps required are not that much different from the essential steps required when /if diabetes strikes and becomes a reality — except that the real thing, diabetes that is, is accompanied by daily self administered blood testing, periodic clinical blood tests, medications, and sometimes — other unpleasant things.

Simple steps of prevention — or for treating diabetes

• First, see a doctor, all people with diabetes should be under the care of a physician who can treat and monitor the progress of the condition.
• Increase physical activity – unless other ailments or medical conditions make it impossible. Exercise can lower blood sugar levels and help in weight loss. Regular exercise can make the cells more sensitive to insulin, the hormone produced by the body that helps escort blood sugars into the cells, thus another way to achieve closer to normal blood sugar levels.
• Lose excess weight, that’s anything above category 25 on the Body Mass Index (BMI) Chart. Details of the Body Mass Index can be found at Body Mass Index Chart.
• Adopt a healthy and nutritious diet, include vegetables, fruits, whole grains and fiber — it may be necessary to obtain advice in creating a suitable diet — but that’s where the motivation is applied, as mentioned, many people do not find this an easy process — but then, consider what happens when diabetes cannot be prevented, it shortens life and can lead to many other serious disease conditions, including heart disease, kidney  disease, and loss of eyesight among others.

A doctor can help and may arrange for the advice of a dietitian or other healthcare professionals who know how to treat and prevent this disease — it is worthwhile to take every opportunity to do so. In working to control blood sugar levels it will probably simultaneously lower the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the diabetic population.

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