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Health and Happiness  

Spotlight on diabetes

The Spotlight Series is a series of articles looking at common, and preventable, diseases. I explain the science behind the condition, how to spot early signs and what you can do to prevent it. 

The Science 

Diabetes is a condition that causes high, uncontrolled levels of sugar in your blood. There are two types; 1 and 2. 

Type 1 diabetes is when the body’s immune system attacks itself and destroys the cells that usually produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that reduces sugar levels in the blood by triggering the liver to absorb more sugar. It usually occurs in your early teens. 

Type 2 diabetes is when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin to deal with the amount of sugar in the blood or the body stops responding to insulin. This can happen after years of eating too much sugar, and so is likely to occur later in life. 

Without enough insulin, blood sugar levels continue to rise. Over time, this sugar clogs up blood vessels, causing blockages, which contributes to other conditions like heart disease and high blood pressure. 

Sugar also sticks to and damages nerves, particularly in the feet. This means people lose the feeling in their feet, which can lead to sores and ulcers that take a long time to heal. 

Bacteria thrives on sugar, so people with diabetes are also more at risk from infections. 

Signs and Symptoms 

Three of the most common symptoms are feeling thirsty, weeing more frequently and feeling very tired. Other symptoms include weight loss, frequent infections or cuts and wounds that heal slowly. 

If you notice any of these symptoms, go to see your family physician. They may diagnose you with something called pre-diabetes, which is when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet diabetes. 

This is important, as if it’s caught at this stage, and you make the effort to reduce your blood sugar, you can prevent diabetes from occurring. 

How to Prevent Diabetes 

Only Type 2 diabetes can be prevented, so this article focuses on ways to prevent Type 2. 

The most important thing to focus on is reducing your sugar levels. Use an app like MyFitnessPal to track how much sugar you’re eating, and make informed choices when eating. 

As well as reducing your sugar intake, you can increase your outtake by exercising more. Getting your heart rate up and exercising for 30 minutes five times a week is a scientifically proven way to reduce your blood sugar levels. 

Losing weight is also crucial to preventing Type 2 diabetes. If you’re overweight, seek advice from your doctor or local pharmacy on what resources and support is out there to help you lose weight.

Keeping a diary of your food and sugar intake is a great way to stay on top of your goals. 

Making small changes slowly can also really help you stick to your plan; don’t restrict your sugar at first, but instead commit only to logging everything you eat. 

Gaining weight doesn’t happen overnight, and neither does losing it. Introducing small steps towards exercise, like taking the stairs or hitting 10,000 steps, is another great way to succeed in getting fit. 

Take Home Message

Eat well, exercise and lose weight – these are the top three things you can do to prevent getting diabetes. If you do notice signs like feeling thirsty, weeing lots or feeling abnormally tired, get in touch with your family doctor. 

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



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About the Author

Dr. Hannah Gibson graduated from medical school in the UK before moving to live in Canada. During her five years at university, she's worked in every department from pediatrics to geriatrics, advocating for both physical and mental health. Now based in Kelowna, she works to provide outreach healthcare for the homeless community. 

Hannah is passionate about preventative medicine, and the focus of her column is to educate and inspire people to take proactive measures to improve their health. 

Hannah believes that we all can, and should, take responsibility for our own health. It is the most important asset we have, and should be respected as such. Follow each week as she gives you the tools to improve your own health and wellbeing, and ultimately live a happier and healthier life. 

Get in touch through the comments section, or by emailing Hannah on [email protected].



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The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet. Castanet does not warrant the contents.

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