6 Reasons To Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

You may not know that you are prediabetic or maybe even diabetic already, but it is a good idea to find out and quickly. The best way is to find out is through a blood glucose screening that your general practitioner can provide. The sooner you know if you are at risk, the better because there are debilitating consequences that accompany having type 2 diabetes.

Know Your Risk Factors:

First and foremost, you need to know the warning signs and symptoms of diabetes and prediabetes. A great place to locate this information through my previous article, Prediabetes: The Warning Signs and Prevention.

The more proactive you are about prevention or control of any of the symptoms or warning signs the better, and here are six reasons why you don’t want to become diabetic.

#1 - The Emotional Impact

The diagnosis of diabetes can have a profound emotional impact. People are creatures of habit, especially their lifestyle habits. The lifestyles I want to focus on include diet, exercise, and alcohol.

Most Americans are inactive. They have a poor diet consisting of low-quality, low-nutrient diets, and many people drink alcohol at least weekly. This style of living is a habit, and old habits die hard. If you find out that you are prediabetic or diabetic, these habits have to be dissolved for the most part.

This is where emotion comes in. A type 2 diabetes diagnosis can set off fear, anxiety, sadness, and many other emotions because of the “unknowns” to come. People fear change, especially lifestyle changes. For some, their quality of life is connected to their food, drinking, and their dislike of physical exercise. It sounds crazy, but it’s true.

By starting the habits of a healthy life year-round, like losing weight through diet and starting regular exercise, your chances of developing type 2 diabetes decreases dramatically. If you don’t know where to begin, talk to a registered dietician for help with meals and a personal trainer for help with exercise.

#2 - Greater Risk Of Diabetic Heart Disease And Stroke

Diabetic Heart Disease, or DHD, is basically heart disease that develops in individuals who have diabetes. What is worrisome is that people who have DHD can have a more severe case of heart disease and could develop heart disease at a much younger age. 

The National Institute of Health (2011) states,

People who have type 2 diabetes have the same risk of heart attack and dying from heart disease as people who already have had heart attacks.

Heart problems are scary, and connected to heart disease is the risk of stroke. National Institutes of Health (2014) states,

If you have diabetes, you are at least twice as likely as other people to have heart disease or a stroke.

Prevention is the key. Always begin with diet and exercise!

#3 - Kidney Disease

Diabetics have high blood sugar. The high blood sugar forces the kidneys work harder to filter, which is their job. Over long periods of time, this over-working can lead to kidney disease which is a long-term obstacle that can develop in diabetics.

Not all diabetics develop kidney disease, but it becomes more probable if glucose levels aren’t controlled. Kidney disease is serious because it can lead to kidney failure. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2014) states,

Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure, accounting for nearly 44 percent of new cases.

More Critical Reasons To Be Proactive Against Diabetes

#4 – Effects On Pregnancy And Unborn Children

It used to be that women developed type 2 diabetes later in life, after the childbearing years. However, now diabetes is more prevalent in younger women who still wish to have children. Diabetic women can still have a healthy pregnancy, but it requires much more monitoring of blood sugar levels and controlling blood sugar levels before becoming pregnant and during the pregnancy. Some sources claim that when you’re pregnant, you may need to check your blood sugar more frequently -- up to eight times daily -- to flag any blood sugar level spikes. 

If a diabetic pregnant woman does not control her blood sugar, it can have life-long consequences for her and her unborn child. According to The American Diabetes Association (2013), the risks for mother and baby include:

• Premature delivery
• Miscarriage
• Birth defects
• Having a large baby
• Hypoglycemia
• Jaundice for extended time in the infant
• Respiratory issues for the infant

There are additional detrimental risks for mothers that are important to read more about. If you are a young woman and want to have a family one day, now is the time to care for your body. Being proactive about your health will help everyone in your future to have healthier lives.

#5– Eye Complications

Preventing diabetes can also ward off the eye complications that can accompany it such as glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and diabetic macular edema, or DME. All diabetic eye complications lead to vision problems each with the ability to cause severe vision complications or even blindness.

The National Eye Institute (2016) states,

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in American adults.

#6 – Skin Complications

When you have diabetes, it’s easier to acquire common skin conditions including bacterial and fungal infections, but there are also conditions that diabetics acquire that are directly related to the disease.

READ Diabetes Symptoms: A Silent Killer Disease

Here are some diabetes related skin diseases:

• Acanthosis Nigricans – thickened brown skin appears in places such as elbows, neck, hands, knees, and/or groin
• Diabetic Dermopathy – light brown, scaly, oval or circular patches occur on the legs due to changes in small blood vessels
• Eruptive Xanthomatosis – yellow, itchy bumps with a red ring about the base can appear. They are about the size of a pencil eraser and form on the back of your hands, arms, feet, legs, or buttocks.
• Diabetic Blisters – In some rare cases, diabetics can break out in diabetic blisters on the extremities such as arms, legs, hands, feet, and fingers. They resemble burn blisters and usually heal on their own in a few weeks. These blisters are most common in diabetics with neuropathy, or nerve problems.
• And there are more…

The goal of informing you about these skin complications is to further motivate you to work toward preventing becoming diabetic. Diabetes brings added health risks and a wide variety of complications that no one wants to live with.

Conclusion

Do you want to live on medications and sticking your finger every day to test your blood? Do you want to worry about an increased risk of developing serious chronic illnesses? No one does.

Type 2 diabetes is one of the most preventable and controllable chronic illnesses, and by being proactive about your health, you can stop it. Small daily efforts like making good food choices and partaking in moderate exercise can completely change the outcome of your life. Your quality of life should be your number one concern.