Telling Diabetes You’re Not My Type

By Bev Bromfield

Are You at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes? There are several factors that put you at risk for developing type 2 diabetes: • Age 45 or older • Overweight and inactive • Blood pressure above 130/80 • Are a member of a high-risk ethnic group (African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Asian American, Pacific Islander) • A family history of diabetes • A history of gestational diabetes, or delivered a baby weighing more than 9 pounds What does diabetes feel like? Symptoms include: • Extreme thirst • Unexplained weight loss • Frequent urination • Blurred vision • Fatigue If you are in a high risk category for diabetes or have any of these symptoms, contact your doctor to schedule a fasting blood sugar test. Diabetes is diagnosed when a fasting blood glucose value is equal to or greater than 126mg/dl on two different occasions. Pre-diabetes is diagnosed when blood glucose values occur between 100 mg/dl and 125mg/dl.

Since 1990, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has increased by 61% nationwide. If this trend continues, it is estimated that one out of every three Americans born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. Heredity, sedentary lifestyles, and our ongoing love affair with super-sized portions and foods with high-fat contents are to blame.

Given these factors, more children and adolescents are becoming overweight and inactive, increasing their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Until recent years, type 2 diabetes was found mostly in adults. Currently 10% to 15% of children and teens are overweight, a number almost double from the previous decade.

Gestational diabetes also plays a role in the increasing rise in obesity among youth. Children of women with a history of gestational diabetes are at increased risk for obesity and diabetes compared to other children.

Diabetes is not inevitable. Lifestyle changes, including weight loss, can help lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Being overweight impairs the body’s ability to properly use or produce enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps change the food we eat into sugar, and thus, energy. Energy is needed by the body to function properly. If our cells become resistant to insulin or the pancreas doesn’t produce enough of it, then the sugar doesn’t get converted into energy. Instead it builds up in the blood causing fatigue, blurred vision, and frequent urination. Maintaining a healthy weight, along with increased physical activity, helps improve the uptake of insulin by the cells.

Strategies to help promote healthy lifestyle choices for children and other family members at risk for type 2 diabetes include: Make movement fun. Take a hike or bike ride together. Try skating, dancing, swimming, or jogging. Play basketball, baseball, softball, golf, soccer, tennis, or volleyball. Skip rope, fly a kite, throw a Frisbee, or play hopscotch. Work up to the cumulative goal of being physically active 30 to 60 minutes each day.

Utilize moments of opportunity. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Take the parking spot furthest from the door instead of the one closest to it. Where possible, leave the cart behind and carry the grocery bags out to the car. Do yard work. Walk the dog. Skip the drive-through window — an option that is good for you and the environment.
Choose a healthy mix of foods that includes fruits and vegetables. Drink water instead of a 20-ounce soda or juice: You’ll save as much as 250 calories.

Eat meals and snacks at about the same time each day and watch portion sizes. Try not to skip meals. It’s best to spread food intake over the day by eating breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a couple of snacks. This provides a ready supply of energy to avoid feeling too hungry, which can lead to binge eating. Losing 5% to 7% of your body weight helps reduce the risk of developing diabetes.

Wait 15 minutes before eating a second helping. It takes 15 minutes for the stomach to send a signal to the brain that it’s full. Have children help plan family meals so they learn more about how to make healthy food choices. A dietician can help you create a meal plan.

What happens at home should happen at school: Work with your schools to help them provide your children with more ways to be physically active and make better food choices.

Talk with local policy makers and community leaders about promoting healthy eating as well as safe play areas. Support legislative efforts to ensure physical education is available at all schools. Many states, including Oregon, have introduced legislation to implement school nutrition standards for foods sold in vending machines.

Help promote awareness of diabetes risk factors. The American Diabetes Association offers a fun and interactive program, “Diabetes & You,” which provides a prevention message. An additional program and fundraising event, “School Walk for Diabetes,” offers education, prizes, and physical activity game options for participating schools.

Research is underway to help identify ways to prevent and manage type 2 diabetes in children and teens. Some studies include TODAY Trial, STOPP-T2D Study, and SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study. For more information about prevention and current research, visit www.diabetes.org or call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (342-2383).

Bev Bromfield is the program manager for the American Diabetes Association. Her office serves residents in Oregon and Southwest Washington. She can be reached at bbromfield@diabetes.org or 503-736-2770, ext. 7294