According to the Nevada Diabetes Association, one in three individuals are not aware they are living with diabetes. Thankfully though, diagnosing someone with diabetes is as simple as taking a quick blood test, often with just a prick of blood from your finger in your health provider's office.
The term diabetes has been around for centuries and means passing through; a large discharge of urine in Greek. Later, mellitus, Latin for honey or sweet, was added to the name when the sweetness of urine and blood in those living with diabetes was noted. Basically, those with diabetes are not able to regulate their levels of sugar or glucose in their blood. When these levels get too high, glucose is released resulting in a large discharge of sugary urine.
Even though the medical profession has been familiar with diabetes for hundreds of years, recently diabetes mellitus rates, particularly Type 2 diabetes, have skyrocketed. In Nevada, according to the Americas Health Rankings, 10.9% of the population (337,900 out of 3.1 million) in 2019 was Iiving with diabetes, with 21.7% of those are adults over age 65. Diabetes has devastating effects on your brain, heart, eyes, kidneys and nerves. Those living with Type 2 diabetes are more likely to die from heart attack, stroke, or cancer compared to those not living with diabetes. In 2019, diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death in Nevada.
The key to treating diabetes mellitus, Type 2 diabetes, is lifestyle changes. The National Institute for Health concludes that a diet of seasonal produce with a daily abundance of vegetables and fruit, moderate amounts of fish, poultry, eggs, and red meat only once a week while increasing monounsaturated fats like olive oil are essential. The above eating recommendations along with 150-minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week have been shown to decrease the amount of glucose in the blood over a period of two to three months. Examples of moderate-intensity physical activities include walking briskly, dancing, swimming and bicycling -all which use large muscles, increase heart rate and make you breathe harder. Check with your health care provider before starting any new or more intense physical activity; start slow and do it regularly.
In summation, exercise is king, nutrition is queen, put them together and you've got a kingdom. It also takes a community to be healthy, so getting every member of your "community" on board with the changes in diet and activity level is essential to your success.
Thank you for taking the time to learn something new about diabetes as it could turn out to be a life saver for yourself or someone you love!
DR. MORDECHAI LAVI IS AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF INTERNAL MEDICINE AND DIVISION OF GERIATRICS AT UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA RENO. HE SPECIALIZES IN THE CARE OF ADULTS 65 YEARS AND OLDER, AND PRACTICES GERIATRIC MEDICINE.
