Diabetes is a serious chronic illness that can not only lower your lifespan, but also negatively impact your daily quality of life. So let’s discuss how you can track your risk level and what you can do to reduce your chances of developing diabetes.
Kadie E. Leach, MD, partners with many residents of Lanham, Maryland, to help prevent, diagnose, and treat chronic diseases, including diabetes. She takes great pride in helping those in her care to live their very best lives, every day.
Diabetes is a disease that develops when your body either can’t produce enough of a hormone called insulin or can’t make proper use of the insulin. Insulin plays a critical role in fueling all of your body’s functions.
Whenever you eat, your body converts a portion of that food into glucose, a type of sugar that travels through your blood to fuel cells throughout your body. For glucose to enter each cell, insulin must be present.
In people with diabetes, glucose builds up in the blood, while the body’s cells don’t get the nourishment they need to thrive. That’s why diabetes creates problems in virtually every area of the body.
Some of the issues that can develop or worsen as a result of diabetes include:
This is a brief overview of the health risks associated with diabetes.
While it’s impossible to predict who will and won’t develop diabetes, some known risk factors increase your chances. If any of the following apply to you, your risk level is higher-than-average:
As you can see, some of these risk factors are within your control, while others are not. Tracking your blood glucose levels is one critical way to understand your risk level. Some people who develop diabetes will have rising blood glucose over time.
Blood glucose testing can be done as part of comprehensive blood testing or as a stand-alone test. If you need to track your blood sugar over time, there are numerous at-home testing devices.
It’s never too late to improve your health and reduce your risk of developing diabetes. If you’re overweight or obese, the most impactful thing you can do is to reach and maintain a healthy weight. Even losing a small percentage of your overall weight will dramatically improve your health.
You can also lower your chance of developing diabetes by improving your diet. Eating a more plant-based diet (which doesn’t mean going fully vegetarian) and avoiding highly processed or fast food can do wonders.
Staying active is also a powerful tool to prevent diabetes. Work toward taking more steps each day, and try different activities to find something you enjoy that can easily become part of your ongoing routines.
Diabetes Awareness Month is a great time to learn more about your personal risk level for diabetes, and Kadie E. Leach, MD, is here to help. Give us a call during regular business hours, or try our online booking option to find a time that works for you.
