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A Guide to Borderline Diabetes

May 31st, 2009 admin 1 comment

Borderline diabetes is a term which is really becoming a lost term in the world today, as research has found that borderline diabetes can actually be a few different conditions. In other words, borderline diabetes is not actually a type of diabetes, but rather it can be a precursor to the condition, and it is essentially an impaired glucose tolerance, which typically occurs when the blood sugar levels in the body are above normal but are still short of the diabetic cut-off range.

However even though it is not classified as being diabetes, the risk of developing other diabetic complications such as coronary heart disease, for instance, is equal to that of any patient in the diabetic category, and thus needs to be taken just as seriously.

The symptoms of borderline diabetes can potentially indicate type 1 or 2 diabetes, and this includes thirst, excessive urination, tiredness or fatigue, diabetic coma, increased hunger, unexplained weight loss.

Treating Borderline Diabetes

There are various things that you can do in order to treat your borderline diabetes, and one of the best things that you can do is work together with your physician in order to develop a customized plan. It is important to have a customized plan because each person and each case is different, and so thus the methods of treatment that should be used will differ as well.

You also need to frequently check your blood glucose levels using a home glucose monitor, so that you will be able to detect and notice if any levels if and when they are above normal. Any level above normal, regardless if it is mild or severe, can lead to long-term complications, and so obviously it is crucial to keep track of your blood glucose levels as best and as often as you possibly can.

Following a proper diabetes diet and exercise plan is also important here, and especially if you are overweight you need to begin a lifestyle-enhancing program in order to better their lifestyle overall. Starting and maintaining a regular, physician-approved exercise program is crucial to treat a condition such as borderline diabetes, and to prevent yourself from suffering from long-term consequences.

Besides being potentially harmful to begin with, there is also research that shows that the effect of borderline diabetes has an effect on such ailments and dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, which is just one more reason that it is so important to properly treat borderline diabetes if you have it and prevent it whatever way you can if you do not.

Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes

May 15th, 2009 admin No comments

One of the most undemanding and the most workable ways to lower blood sugar levels, eliminate the dangers of “cardiovascular disease,” and perk up health and welfare in general is exercise.

In spite of that, in today’s inactive world where almost every indispensable job can be carried out online, from the ergonomic chair in front of a computer, or with a streaming line of messages from a fax machine, exercising can be a hard argument to win over.

The Weight of Exercise

Everyone should exercise, yet the health experts tells us that only 30% of the United States population gets the recommended thirty minutes of daily physical activity, and 25% are not active at all. In fact, inactivity is thought to be one of the key reasons for the surge of type 2 diabetes in the U.S., because inactivity and obesity promote insulin resistance.

The good news is that it is never too late to get moving, and exercise is one of the easiest ways to start controlling your diabetes. For people with type 2 diabetes in particular, exercise can improve insulin sensitivity, lower the risk of heart disease, and promote weight loss.

Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes is on the rise. The number of people diagnosed with diabetes every year increased by 48% between 1980 and 1994. Nearly all the new cases are Type 2 Diabetes, or adult-onset, the kind that moves in around middle age. Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes include increased thirst, appetite, and need to urinate; feeling tired, edgy, or sick to the stomach; blurred vision; tingling or loss of feeling in the hands.

The causes of type 2 diabetes are complex and not completely understood, although research is uncovering new clues at a rapid pace.

However, it has already been proven that one of the reasons for the boom in type 2 diabetes is the widening of waistbands and the trend toward a more desk bound and inactive lifestyle in the United States and other developed countries. In America, the shift has been striking; in the 1990s alone, obesity increased by 61% and diagnosed diabetes by 49%.

For this reason, health experts encourage those who already have type 2 diabetes to start employing the wonders that exercise can do for them. Without exercise, people have the tendency to become obese. Once they are obese, they have bigger chances of accumulating type 2 diabetes.

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that over 80% of people with type 2 diabetes are clinically overweight. Therefore, it is high time that people, whether inflicted with type 2 diabetes or not, should start doing those jumping and stretching activities.

Getting Started

The first order of business with any exercise plan, especially if you are a “dyed-in-the-wool” sluggish, is to consult with your health care provider. If you have cardiac risk factors, the health care provider may want to perform a stress test to establish a safe level of exercise for you.

Certain diabetes complications will also dictate what type of exercise program you can take on. Activities like weightlifting, jogging, or high-impact aerobics can possibly pose a risk for people with diabetic retinopathy due to the risk for further blood vessel damage and possible retinal detachment.

If you are already active in sports or work out regularly, it will still benefit you to discuss your regular routine with your doctor. If you are taking insulin, you may need to take special precautions to prevent hypoglycemia during your workout.

Start Slow

For those who have type 2 diabetes, your exercise routine can be as simple as a brisk nightly neighborhood walk. If you have not been very active before now, start slowly and work your way up. Walk the dog or get out in the yard and rake. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park in the back of the lot and walk. Every little bit does work, in fact, it really helps a lot.

As little as 15 to 30 minutes of daily, heart-pumping exercise can make a big difference in your blood glucose control and your risk of developing diabetic complications. One of the easiest and least expensive ways of getting moving is to start a walking program. All you need is a good pair of well-fitting, supportive shoes and a direction to head in.

Indeed, you do not have to waste too many expenses on costly “health club memberships,” or the most up-to-date health device to start pumping those fats out. What you need is the willingness and the determination to start exercising to a healthier, type 2 diabetes-free life.

The results would be the sweetest rewards from the effort that you have exerted.

The Cause of Diabetes

April 17th, 2009 admin No comments

There are three types of diabetes. These include type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. What causes diabetes is different for each of these types. In a healthy persons’ body, glucose is released by the pancreas in small amounts proportional to what you eat.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an immune system disorder. With type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system will actually attack and destroy the insulin producing cells that are present in the pancreas, thereby causing diabetes. This causes a person’s body to become deficient in glucose. Type 1 diabetes is generally treated with insulin injections or insulin inhalers. This type of diabetes is also known as ‘juvenile’ diabetes because it generally strikes when the patient is young.

Type 2 Diabetes

The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes, as mentioned above, is an autoimmune disorder while type 2 diabetes is associated with inactivity and obesity. Type 2 diabetes accounts for around 95% of all cases of diabetes in the United States.

When a person has type 2 diabetes their pancreas ceases to produce insulin or it produces it in very small doses. In certain cases individuals with type 2 diabetes may also be affected by insulin resistance. When this happens, glucose that is produced by the pancreas builds up in the blood and is not recognized and absorbed by the patient’s body, causing this type of diabetes.

There are many risk factors that a person can have which increases their risk and may a cause of diabetes. These risks include obesity, inactive lifestyle, high-fat diet, high alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, ethnicity (certain ethnic groups are more prone to diabetes than others), age, and developing gestational diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes may be treated with insulin, diabetes oral medication, and diet and exercise. In many cases a patient will be treated with a combination of these methods. Typically, type 2 diabetes can be controlled to a certain degree with diet and exercise.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes occurs in around 4% of women who are pregnant. Due to the hormones released, during a pregnancy a woman may experience higher glucose levels. If a woman’s pancreas cannot accommodate these changes, it will cause diabetes.

Some of the risk factors for gestation diabetes include being overweight when becoming pregnant, having a family history of diabetes, being a member of a high-risk ethnic group, previously being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, having glucose in your urine, and previously giving birth to a baby over 9 pounds or a stillborn baby.