Diabetes is a lifestyle condition which is affected by the diet you eat and how much exercise you get – the number of cases of type 2 diabetes around the world has doubled in the past three decades, as we’ve developed more sedentary lifestyles and begun to eat poorer diets than ever before. Although the specific causes for type 2 diabetes are still relatively unknown, there are a number of risk factors which increase your chances of developing this condition. It’s thought that between 70 and 80 million people in America alone have insulin resistance syndrome, which is one of the key risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Once you discover that you have insulin resistance, you can alter your lifestyle accordingly to once again reduce your risk of developing this condition.
People with the following risk factors may find themselves in serious danger of developing type 2 diabetes – if this is the case, it’s advised that you seek advice from your GP as to how to reduce these risks and maintain a healthy lifestyle. If you have a family history of diabetes, this automatically increases your own risk as you’re more vulnerable to the condition. This is also the case if you’re over the age of 45 – studies show that this condition is more common in older people. Surprisingly, your risk is dependent on your ethnicity as well – studies suggest that the risk is higher in Hispanics, Native Americans, African-Americans, and Asian people. Being overweight is commonly associated with diabetes, and brings with it a number of other health problems as well. If your body mass index, or BMI, is over 25, you have a higher risk of developing this condition. High blood pressure, or hypertension, has been linked with a risk of type 2 diabetes, as has abnormal lipid levels – a HDL cholesterol level of under 35 mg/dL or a triglyceride level of over 250mg/dL increases your risk of diabetes. Lastly, a history of gestational diabetes can increase your chances – this is the development of diabetes during pregnancy, but delivering a baby over nine pounds can also impact your risk.
There are a number of tests for type 2 diabetes, yet it’s believed that one-third of all people with the condition aren’t aware that they have it. If you experience some or all of the symptoms, it’s advised that you get tested as soon as possible – these include being severely thirsty more than usual, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, feeling hungry more than usual, as well as a tingling sensation in your hands and feet. Your GP may do an oral glucose tolerance test, though these aren’t common practice anymore. It’s more likely that you’ll be asked to book in for a haemoglobin A1c test, which is an important blood test which can determine how well your diabetes is being controlled. The type of treatment that you will need will depend on the severity of your condition, but your GP will advise of the best course of treatment for this. The most important step to take is to change your lifestyle – this means altering your diet and increasing your exercise each week. You should aim to lower your intake of fats and sugars, as well as giving up smoking if you do so already, and lowering your intake of alcohol. This, combined with more exercise each week, will improve your general health and wellbeing, as well as ensuring that you control your diabetes more effectively.