Charmaine Gauci, director, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate, says that living a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet and physical activity, can help one manage diabetes and lead a full life.
Diabetes is a condition in which the body either does not produce enough insulin (a hormone that is produced in the pancreas) or does not properly respond to it. Insulin is very important for our body as it helps cells to absorb glucose in order to turn it into energy. Hence in diabetics, glucose accumulates in the blood.
In the initial stages diabetes does not show any symptoms and it is only when the blood glucose levels rise that symptoms start to surface, such as increased appetite, increased thirst, frequent urination and weight loss.
Long-term complications of diabetes develop gradually and can eventually be disabling or even life-threatening. Some of the potential complications of diabetes include:
Heart and blood vessel disease: Diabetes increases the risk of various cardiovascular problems, including coronary artery disease including angina, heart attack, stroke, narrowing of arteries (atherosclerosis) and high blood pressure. According to the American Heart Association the risk of stroke is two to four times higher for people with diabetes, and the death rate from heart disease is two to four times higher for people with diabetes than for people without the disease.
When a person is diagnosed with diabetes, one of the most important things to come to terms with is the fact that diabetes is a lifelong condition
Nerve damage (neuropathy Excess sugar can injure the walls of the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that nourish the nerves, especially in the legs. This can cause tingling, numbness, burning or pain that usually begins at the tips of the toes or fingers and gradually spreads upward.
Kidney damage (nephropathy Diabetes can damage the filtering system in the kidney which, if severe, can lead to kidney failure or irreversible end-stage kidney disease, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Eye damage: Diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the retina (diabetic retinopathy), potentially leading to blindness while increasing the risk of other serious vision conditions, such as cataracts and glaucoma.
Skin and mouth conditions: Diabetes increases the risk of bacterial and fungal infections.
Osteoporosis: Diabetes may lead to lower- than-normal bone mineral density, increasing the risk of osteoporosis.
When a person is diagnosed with diabetes, one of the most important things to come to terms with is the fact that diabetes is a lifelong condition and that it does not have to stop a person from leading the life desired. With careful management one can control the condition and stay healthy and lead a full life.
For many years there have been different recommendations on what is the best diet to control diabetes. Reviews on the nutritional management of patients with diabetes indicate that the overall advice to people with diabetes is to choose a healthy, well-balanced diet, with meals and snacks carefully planned to minimise changes in blood glucose concentrations. This can be easily achieved via the consumption of normal foods.
The diabetic diet is simply a balanced healthy diet, however, many people have the misconception that this diet consists of only diabetic foods. The regulation of blood sugar in the non-diabetic is automatic, that is it adjusts to whatever foods are eaten. But, for the diabetic, extra caution is needed to balance food intake with exercise, medications and any other glucose-altering activity. This means that the diabetic and his family can eat the same healthy foods at mealtime.
To keep the blood sugar levels in check, one needs to make healthy food choices, exercise regularly and take the medicines the healthcare provider prescribes if needed.
Many diabetics have additional risk factors including high blood pressure, high cholesterol level and/or overweight/obesity. This raises the risk of many diseases including heart disease and stroke.
It’s important for anyone who has diabetes to learn how to manage the condition. Weight management classes are available free of charge for diabetics, so take the opportunity and enrol.
For more information and advice, contact your doctor or the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate on 2326 6000.