Normal Blood Sugar Levels and Diabetes

I received in my e-mail box today, a reminder from the American Diabetes Association that they need my help to “stop diabetes once and for all”. Obviously they are not singling out me to help them in this worthy endeavor, I am just one of probably a million or more others on their mailing list — it’s part of their “Stop Diabetes® Campaign” and as a long-time advocate of the value of getting checked for diabetes, which is such a simple procedure, I am in total agreement of what The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is doing to raise awareness. It’s time to act.

Let us consider just two facts presented by the ADA:

• One in three Americans is at risk for type 2 diabetes, and
• Millions of Americans have the disease but don’t know it.

Diabetes is not a disease to ignore
And to anyone who has diabetes and does not know it, I would just add that when diabetes is left untreated, the higher than normal blood sugar levels that are part of the disease can continue to damage other organs and tissues throughout the body until eventually other serious health complications develop. And those include cardiovascular disease, the major cause of death among people with diabetes, eye disease and blindness, kidney disease, possible lower limb amputation, and others.

Who is at risk for type-2 diabetes?
Type-2 Diabetes is the most common of the 3 main forms of diabetes, comprising about 90% of all cases. The other two forms are Type-1 Diabetes and Gestational Diabetes. Type-1, representing about 5% of all diabetes cases, used to be called Juvenile Diabetes because it affects mainly children and young adults. Gestational Diabetes is a temporary condition that occurs only in a small percentage of women when they are pregnant and usually disappears when they give birth. All three forms of diabetes are defined by elevated blood sugar levels that circulate throughout the body.

The true cause of diabetes is not known but there are recognizable risk factors that, when present, increase the possibility of developing diabetes. There is a “profile” that describes a potential diabetic and since, as the ADA states, 1 in 3 Americans is at risk of being diagnosed as a type-2 diabetic, they are easy to recognize – they are everywhere! Some risk factors, in no particular order, are:

• Risk increases with age, it is diagnosed more frequently in the middle-age group of people, starting from about age 40 to 45years. Similarly, that age group is at higher risk for heart disease and stroke, and diabetes is now consider a primary risk factor for heart disease.
• Overweight people are at higher risk and obese people more so. A good way to determine your weight category at a glance is to use the BMI Index, a chart of height and weight combinations. You can find a copy of it with the simple instructions on how to use at BMI Index. The BMI target is to be at 25 or lower. You need to know your height and weight before you use the chart.
• A sedentary lifestyle, where there is little daily exercise, especially coupled with being overweight is also a factor for increased risk. And a poor diet has a part to play too.
  
• A history of diabetes in the family increases risk, and also it seems that a higher percentage of type-2 diabetes occurs among people of African-American, Indian American, Hispanic and South Asian descent.

Existing health conditions that can increase the risk of diabetes

• Having high blood pressure or heart disease contributes to overall risk and men are at higher risk to develop heart disease than are women.

What to do
See a physician, get tested
The first and easiest thing to do is to pay a visit to a doctor and have a simple blood test. There’s nothing you can do about getting older but you need to know where you stand regarding the possibilities and whether you are at greater risk or not.

A blood test also provides valuable information on other important health matters in addition to diabetes. And there is also a condition called Prediabetes that even more Americans are known to be at risk for. Find out whether you are one of them.

When you have had a blood test, find out your cholesterol levels, it’s good to know. Sometimes it is somewhat intimidating being in a doctor’s office and many people are reluctant to ask for details, they just accept the doctor’s comment and the advice that nothing to fear is showing up, or cholesterol levels are high, or whatever, but it is still a good to ask for the numbers, to know them yourself. Current thinking is that Total Cholesterol should be less than 200, LDL levels, the “bad” cholesterol should be less than 100 and HDL cholesterol levels should be more than 40 mgs for men, and 50 mgs for women).

You can’t beat a blood test as a way to quickly determine your present state of health.

Become active and eat heathier
There is ample advice available on the need to get healthy and stay healthy – usually involving the adoption of a healthy diet and become more active, and while some information sources are very general in the advice they offer, a dietitian at a health clinic, hospital or through a doctor’s office can tailor a suitable nutritious diet to meet personal tastes and preferences. A wide range of diabetic menu topics and related subject matter can be found at Diabetic Menu Guide.

Some things worth knowing until you see a doctor:

Waist measurement
In addition to checking your BMI as suggested above, you can also measure your waist by using a tape measure positioned at about the belly-button and completely circling the body to determine the waist circumference. The target for a healthy number is 40 inches or less for men and 35 inches or less for women. Good luck!

Blood pressure
Find a local drugstore that has a blood pressure measuring device, many do, it’s may not be as good as the one used by the doctor, but the general opinion is that they are reasonably accurate, close enough to give a good idea, it’s quick and easy, just follow the simple instructions that can be readily seen when you sit down, The ideal blood pressure target for a person who does not have diabetes is 120/80, meaning 120 systolic (when the heart is beating) and 80 diastolic (when the heart is at rest between beats).

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