Type 2 diabetes is a condition marked by chronically high levels of sugar in the bloodstream that, if left untreated, can cause devastating complications in the future. He believes that this disease affects millions of people worldwide. Below, we will delve into what you should know about type 2 diabetes, from the first symptoms to the most common treatments.
What is type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a condition that affects the way your body processes food. The food you eat breaks down into sugar molecules in the bloodstream. If everything works normally, the pancreas releases the hormone insulin, which then attaches itself to the sugar molecules in the blood and carries them to the cells.
Insulin works as the key that opens the door that allows sugar to pass from the bloodstream into cells and tissues to be used as fuel.
However, in people with diabetes, the cells do not respond well to insulin, a situation called insulin resistance. If the pancreas can’t make enough insulin to adjust, the sugar molecules remain in the blood, which can lead to all kinds of problems, from blindness to heart problems.
What is the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?
Although both type 1 and type 2 diabetes involve too high levels of sugar in the bloodstream, they have different causes and treatments. Type 2 is related to genetic and lifestyle factors , such as being overweight or obese, while type 1 is generally caused by an autoimmune reaction.
People with type 2, on the other hand, still produce some insulin, but their bodies cannot use it properly. This type is the most common by far.
Type 1 is most often (but not exclusively) diagnosed in children, adolescents, or young adults, while type 2 is most often diagnosed in adults, and about a third of people over the age of 65 have the condition.
In terms of treatment, people with type 1 diabetes have to take insulin every day, otherwise they will die. But those with type 2 can control their condition through lifestyle changes.
Causes of type 2 diabetes
The immediate cause of type 2 is not having enough insulin to get sugar out of the bloodstream. What causes insulin resistance remains a mystery.
Genetics
Your genes are a part of the equation. Type 2 diabetes tends to run in families and is also more common in certain racial and ethnic groups, such as African-Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders.
If you have a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes, your risk is also higher.
Being overweight or obese
Being overweight or obese is closely linked to insulin resistance. If you have a genetic predisposition to not being able to make enough insulin and are overweight or obese, you can make diabetes manifest.
This is especially true if fat is concentrated around your abdomen.
Age
Your risk of developing the condition increases markedly after age 45, although more children, teens, and young adults are increasingly being diagnosed.
Exercise habits
According to health experts, people who engage in physical activity less than three times a week have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Medical history
Women who had gestational diabetes during pregnancy or who ever gave birth to a baby weighing more than 4 kilos are more likely to develop type 2.
Other risk factors
Less common causes of type 2 diabetes include some hormonal disorders such as Cushing’s syndrome and hyperthyroidism, damage to the pancreas (including surgery to remove part of it), and certain medications , such as niacin (vitamin B3) and steroids.
What symptoms do you have?
Most of the time, type 2 diabetes does not have any symptoms in the early stages of the disease. And when there are symptoms, they are usually so mild that you don’t even notice them.
Those symptoms may include:
- Need to urinate frequently.
- Feeling very thirsty and hungry, even though you are drinking and eating.
Many people never know they have diabetes until they develop symptoms of diabetes complications, such as numbness of the feet, high blood pressure, blurred vision, and skin infections.
How is it diagnosed?
Since there are usually no early signs of type 2 diabetes, the only way to know for sure if you have the condition is to get a formal diagnosis. This is why getting tested is so important, especially if you have risk factors. More than 20 percent of the 34 million people with diabetes go undiagnosed.
The guidelines of health experts recommend that all people over the age of 45 undergo a screening test, as well as people who have risk factors such as having a high BMI.
There are three main tests to diagnose diabetes:
Fasting plasma glucose test (FPG)
This test measures your blood sugar levels after fasting and drinking only water for eight hours (usually at night).
It is inexpensive and easily accessible, but the results can be biased if you are stressed or sick. It also only measures your sugar levels at one point in time.
Fasting plasma glucose levels of less than 100 mg / dl are considered by physicians to be normal, while 100 mg / dl to 125 mg / dl indicates prediabetes and levels of 126 mg / dl or more mean that you have diabetes.
A1C test
This looks at the person’s average blood sugar level over a period of two to three months. It’s a report card about how well you’re doing.
Although this is a better measure of your blood sugar levels over the long term, it is expensive and can be overlooked in some cases.
Experts say the numbers below 5.7 percent are normal, while prediabetes is 5.7 to 6.4 percent and diabetes is 6.5 percent or more.
Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)
This test is difficult to do and is generally reserved for pregnant women. It’s about evaluating your blood sugar level two hours before and two hours after drinking a sugar-laden drink.
It may not be convenient, but it is accurate. According to doctors, a normal level is less than 140 mg / dl, while prediabetes is from 140 mg / dl to 199 mg / dl and diabetes is 200 mg / dl or more.
What treatments are there?
Treatment of type 2 diabetes generally begins with lifestyle changes (think diet and exercise), then moves on to medication and possibly insulin.
Lifestyle measures
For diabetes in its early stages, lifestyle measures including diet, physical activity, and stress management may be enough to keep blood sugar levels under control.
Experts have questions about whether it can really “cure” or “reverse” diabetes, but you can absolutely control your blood sugar level.
Food preferences are very individual and there is no diabetes diet. However, most guidelines suggest that people with diabetes focus on the following foods:
- Fruits
- Non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, carrots, green leafy vegetables)
- Whole grains (wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, quinoa)
- Lean birds
- Fish,
- Eggs
- Vegetables
- Low-fat or fat-free dairy products
- Monounsaturated oils (olive, canola, sesame)
Regular physical activity is also key . Get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as walking or biking.
Finally, be sure to control stress, which can cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket.
Medicines
Medications intervene when lifestyle measures are no longer sufficient to control blood sugar levels. They work in different ways, from helping your tissues respond better to insulin, increasing the amount of insulin your pancreas produces, slowing down your digestion, and more.
Drug treatment generally begins with metformin. According to the ADA, metformin reduces the amount of glucose produced by the liver and also makes the tissue more sensitive to insulin.
After that, your doctor may prescribe other oral medications that help lower blood sugar, such as DPP-4 inhibitors like sitagliptin (Januvia) or SGLT2 inhibitors like empagliflozin (Jardiance).
Even with medication, people with type 2 diabetes still need to keep up with the lifestyle measures mentioned above.
Insulin
According to Harvard Health Publishing, about a third of people with type 2 diabetes will end up having to receive some form of insulin injection to help get glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells.
Doctors generally reserve the use of insulin for later because of the risk of hypoglycemia [low blood sugar].
As with diabetes medications, there are many different types of insulin.
Bariatric surgery
A less common treatment for type 2 diabetes includes weight loss (bariatric) surgery. Losing weight returns blood sugar levels to normal, and some people with diabetes who have had this surgery may stop taking the medications.
If performed early in the course of the disease, bariatric surgery can postpone elevations in blood sugar for a long time.
Complications of type 2 diabetes
If blood sugar levels aren’t kept under control over time, the damage of type 2 diabetes can spread throughout the body. And unless you’ve been examined, the symptoms of these complications are sometimes the first indication of diabetes. Unfortunately, once the damage is done, it cannot be reversed.
Cardiovascular problems
People with diabetes are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, which means heart attack, stroke, or heart failure.
Diabetes can cause atherosclerosis or fat build-up in the arteries, which can narrow the vessels. And about two-thirds of people with the condition have high blood pressure.
Blindness
Diabetes is the main cause of blindness. This begins with retinopathy, when blood sugar chronically damages small blood vessels in the retina and blocks blood flow. Regular dilated eye exams can detect retinopathy in its early stages.
Kidney conditions
Diabetes is also the main factor driving chronic kidney disease. Those high blood sugar levels erode the capillaries in the kidneys, helping to filter waste. Eventually, this can lead to chronic kidney disease and even dialysis or an organ transplant.
Nerve damage
The feet can be a particular source of problems in people with uncontrolled diabetes who develop neuropathy or nerve damage.
This can cause all kinds of symptoms: burning or itchy feet, numbness, cold feet all the time. It can also cause problems with urination and digestion, as well as erectile dysfunction.
People with diabetes should have daily foot exams, as the numbness of the neuropathy sometimes means that you hurt your foot and don’t know it.
Skin conditions
According to the ADA, people with uncontrolled diabetes can experience a number of skin problems, from severe itching to bacterial infections. In fact, these problems are sometimes the first sign that a person has diabetes.
