Today over 26 million Americans (8 percent of the population) have diabetes. Estimates indicate that another 7 million Americans may be unaware they have the disease. In 2007, the Center for Disease Control characterized the rise in Type 2 diabetes an epidemic - it is still characterized as such.
Diabetes is currently the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. and new global research indicates that diabetes can shorten a person’s life expectancy by six years. In comparison, smoking is estimated to shorten a person’s life by 10 years.
For some time, researchers have been aware of the toll diabetes takes on one’s heart - high blood sugar can damage blood vessels and nerves leading to heart disease and a higher risk of heart attack or stroke. But according to the research published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2011, new studies that examined medical information from over 820,000 people in Europe and North America indicate that diabetes can cause a wide range of other medical conditions. Over the 13 ½ years the participants were followed, more than 123,000 participants died; most of the participants had Type 2 diabetes.
According to the study, the participants with diabetes were two times as likely to die from a heart attack or stroke than those without diabetes. They also had increased death rates from infections, pneumonia, lung and kidney disease and falls. They were 25 percent more likely to die from breast cancer and their risk was doubled for liver cancer. It was also noted that diabetics had a greater tendency to suffer from depression and commit suicide.
Researchers have not yet determined why diabetes has the above effects, but researchers do recommend cancer screenings for those with diabetes and emphasize the need to treat and prevent diabetes.
The symptoms of diabetes may be rather nonspecific and diagnosis may take a while. With Type 1 diabetics, the initial presentation of the disease may be rather rapid with significant illness. Many new onset diabetics present to the emergency department after a few days of a flu-like illness, including nausea, vomiting, and severe dehydration. Their blood sugar may be up over 1000 mg/dl, with normal being 100 mg/dl. This is an emergency situation that requires rehydration, control of sugars, and infusion of electrolytes while hospitalized. Left untreated, this patient can die.
Type 2 diabetics usually have a presentation that is slow and may be monitored over a few years. The usual Type 2 diabetic symptoms may include increased thirst, increased urination, weight loss, fatigue, poor healing wounds, and visual changes. Fasting blood glucose levels are usually over 110 mg/dl. Many times, weight loss will cure the problem. With more severe cases, a variety of oral medications can be taken to address the problem. There are a few cases that require both oral medications and shots of insulin.
When it comes to healthy living — think moderation. That goes for your intake of dietary supplements as well. Vitamin D has been in the headlines a lot lately — touted as a possible preventative measure against everything from cancer and autism, to diabetes, heart disease and the flu. And recommendations for increased doses of Vitamin D have filled the press. Now, recent research from the Institute of Medicine indicates that Vitamin D supplements may not be as beneficial as recently assumed. And, further, too much Vitamin D over a sustained period of time may have negative effects. The Institute of Medicine panel also notes that they found no evidence of a national epidemic of vitamin D deficiency, contrary to earlier articles by American media. This article from NPR is worth a read — Medical Panel: Don’t Go Overboard on Vitamin D.
To parents — get your kids of the couch at an early age and promote a lifestyle that includes some sort of exercise every day (be it biking, a walk around the block, hitting baseballs, swimming, gardening…). To kids — get active, get outdoors.
Why? Well, besides the long-established benefits — cardiovascular health, lower rates of obesity and diabetes, healthier proportions of muscle mass — a new study shows a connection between exercise and GPA. According to the study, “Twenty minutes of daily vigorous physical activity among college students may lead them to have grade point averages about .4 higher, on a scale of 4.0, compared with students who do not exercise.”
Now think of what 40 minutes of exercise could do! I’m kidding, of course, but the study did indicate that while daily exercise is not necessary — the research did indicate that more exercise is better.
The biggest problem with health-related New Year’s resolutions? Most of us go “too big.” And that usually sets us up for failure. Everything in moderation — that’s the ticket. If you are serious about losing weight, lowering your cholesterol, stopping smoking, exercising more, eating better, preventing diabetes II — then make that effort in this frame of mind: small gradual changes in lifestyle. In this manner, you set realistic, reachable goals for yourself. And once those are reached — you go on to the next set of slightly bigger goals. And all the while you incorporate those changes into how you live. It’s not about dieting, complete denial or starting out with a daily 5-mile run. It’s about increments of change that you can live with so you can live better and healthier.
Here’s an excellent article that serves as a great example.
The dreaded “Freshman 15″ - the reputed number of pounds a college Freshman gains during the first year of college - has become almost an accepted fact-of-life on American campuses. And that’s unfortunate, especially when you consider the dramatic rise in obesity this country has experienced over the last 20 years. This rise in obesity - as well as the decrease in physical activity and excessive intake of calories, sugars and fast food - has led to the dramatic increase in the number of young people with type 2 diabetes. These youth are at increased risk of developing heart disease, nerve damage, stroke and kidney disease.
Overweight youth with poor eating habits prior to college simply cannot afford to gain the Freshman 15. It puts their long-term health at risk. And for those teens with good eating habits, college becomes a ‘testing ground’ wherein the choices they make can affect their health going forward.
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