Page 112 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2018

HEALTHY LIVING know your risk
COULD IT BE YOU?
PREDIABETES
DIABETES PREVENTION
84.1
MILLION
9OUT OF
1OUT3 OF
10 people with prediabetes don’t know they have it
84.1 million American adults — more than
1 out of 3 — have prediabetes
TYPE 2 DIABETES
PREDIABETE S NORMAL
Prediabetes is
when your blood sugar level is higher than normal but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes
Prediabetes increases your risk of:
TYPE 2 HEART DIABETES DISEASE
If you have prediabetes, losing weight by:
EATING HEALTHY
Ignore prediabetes and type 2 diabetes risk goes up — and so does risk for serious health complications:
STROKE
& BEING MORE ACTIVE
can cut your risk of getting type 2 diabetes in
HA LF
BLINDNESS KIDNEY FAILURE
STROKE
HEART DISEASE
LOSS OF TOES, FEET, OR LEGS
story by Lynn Lofton
With the country’s — and especially Mississippi’s — growing number
of people with diabetes, catching this condition in the prediabetes stage is important. Finding out before you have full-blown diabetes allows time for preventative steps that can reduce the chances of developing the disease.
K.C. Arnold, a nurse practitioner and owner of The Diabetes Center in Ocean Springs, says only a small percentage of people know they have prediabetes because there
are no symptoms. “It’s typically found when someone has lab work and plasma glucose levels do
not meet the American Diabetes Association’s diagnosis criteria. My favorite handout to help patients understand is www.diabetes.org/ are-you-at-risk/prediabetes.”
Joanna McAdams, a registered dietician with Garden Park Medical Center in Gulfport, agrees that the best way to determine if you have prediabetes is having blood work. She lists several reasons why people are unaware they are prediabetic. “First of all, many people do not
get regular checkups that could allow early diagnosis,” she said. “Secondly, with the increase in
our obesity rate, many people are developing type 2 diabetes at much younger ages than decades before. They don’t think that in their 20s, 30s, or 40s they would be diagnosed with diabetes, but it’s much more common these days.”
“Lastly, many times symptoms are either ignored or people do
not recognize the symptoms of diabetes, especially in the older population when some of the symptoms such as fatigue, blurry vision, or frequent urination can be attributed to the aging process.”
Arnold succinctly lists the best course of action to take. “Losing weight and exercising moderately
can prevent prediabetes from becoming type 2 diabetes.”
Educating yourself about diabetes and what changes need to be
made to manage blood sugar is recommended by McAdams. “Many times a healthcare provider may tell someone their blood sugar is a little elevated and they need to cut back on the white foods or sugar and lose a little weight, which they may do for some time but often return to old habits,” she said.
“Being diagnosed as pre-diabetic gives someone the opportunity
to possibly control their diabetes without medication, and anytime we can forgo a prescription, it’s
a great thing. Changes usually need to be made to eating habits, lifestyle, and activity levels.”
These healthcare professionals note the epidemic of overweight people in the U.S. “Over the decades we have seen an increase
in our consumption of processed foods, fast foods, and sugar while
at the same time we are becoming a much less active society,” McAdams said. “We are seeing more and more teenagers diagnosed with type 2 (non-insulin) diabetes — which
two decades ago was rare — due to obesity, poor diet, and inactivity. Diabetes and its complications not only affect our quality of life but amount to millions of healthcare dollars spent every year. With early diagnosis, education, and management many of these issues can be prevented.”
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