More and more Americans are being diagnosed each year with Type II diabetes. In fact, the number of people diagnosed with Type II diabetes has risen by approximately 50% in 42 states and 100% in 18 states. These are significant numbers!! Our high fat diets, fast food and sedentary lifestyles are all factors contributing to this rapidly growing problem.
Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include:
Increased thirst
Increased hunger
Having to urinate more often – especially at night
Feeling very tired
Weight loss
Blurry vision
Sores that do not heal
Tingling/numbness in the hands and feet
If you don't have health insurance and are overweight, I suggest purchasing a glucometer device and testing yourself at home. These devices are fairly inexpensive, cost is around $20 and comes with 10 test strips. A normal fasting blood sugar should be around 70-99 mg/dl. A pre-diabetic range is 100-125mg/dl. If your reading is 126mg/dl on more than on occasion, you most likely are diabetic.
You should have any abnormal readings reported to your doctor so he can prescribe a diabetic diet for you to follow and he/she may want to start you on an anti-diabetic medication as well as an exercise program.
By following a prescribed diet and exercising everyday you can significantly reduce your chances of
diabetes worsening and preventing more severe problems such as nerve damage in your feet, kidney failure which can lead to dialysis as well as increasing your chances for a stroke or heart attack.
Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include:
- Age (greater than age 45)
- Overweight
- Physical inactivity
- Family background that is American Indian, African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American, or Pacific Islander
- Parent or sibling with diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Abnormal cholesterol levels
- Having had a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds or having had gestational diabetes
- Pre-diabetes
- History of polycystic ovary disease (PCOS)
If you don't have health insurance and are overweight, I suggest purchasing a glucometer device and testing yourself at home. These devices are fairly inexpensive, cost is around $20 and comes with 10 test strips. A normal fasting blood sugar should be around 70-99 mg/dl. A pre-diabetic range is 100-125mg/dl. If your reading is 126mg/dl on more than on occasion, you most likely are diabetic.
You should have any abnormal readings reported to your doctor so he can prescribe a diabetic diet for you to follow and he/she may want to start you on an anti-diabetic medication as well as an exercise program.
By following a prescribed diet and exercising everyday you can significantly reduce your chances of
diabetes worsening and preventing more severe problems such as nerve damage in your feet, kidney failure which can lead to dialysis as well as increasing your chances for a stroke or heart attack.
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