Are you at risk of developing diabetes?

What is diabetes?
Diabetes, is a syndrome of a tangled metabolism, the causes are usually due to a combination of hereditary and lifestyle effects. The result is abnormally high blood sugar levels which is knows as hyperglycemia.

There are two common forms of diabetes which are due to either a reduced production of insulin (type 1 diabetes), or reduced response from the body to insulin (type 2 and gestational diabetes).

UN Diabetes Logo

What are the concerns and symptoms?
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type. It develops slowly and the warning signs may not even be noticed at all. Symptoms can include excessive thirst and hence excessive urination, unexplained weight changes, weakness, fatigue, irritability, blurred vision, skin infections and tingling/numbness in the feet. Sometimes there may not even be any signs or they go unnoticed and this is why it is important you know the risk factors.

Diabetes can also lead to other serious and sometimes fatal illnesses such as heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney damage and limb amputation.

Who is most at risk of developing type 2 diabetes?
Obesity is found to be a factor in more than 50% of patients who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Hence being overweight, especially if the excess weight is around your waist or stomach, increases your risk.

Central obesity is fat concentrated around the waist in relation to abdominal organs. It is known to expose individuals to lack of insulin resistance. Abdominal fat also effects us hormonally, secreting a group of hormones called the adipokines (adipokines play a role in modifying appetite and insulin resistance).

How To Check Your General Risk Exposure to Type 2 Diabetes

• Girls: If your waist measures more than 80 cm (31.5 inches) you are at risk. If your waist measures 90 cm (35.5 Inches) or more you are in the highest risk category for type 2 diabetes
• Guys: If your waist measures 90 cm (35.5 Inches) or more you are at risk. If your waist measures 100 cm (39.5 inches) or more you are in the highest risk category for type 2 diabetes.

How to Measure your waist correctly

1. Remove or move your clothing so that the tape measure is up against your skin
2. Position the tape measure horizontally about half way between the top of your hip bone and the bottom of your rib cage
3. Relax and breathe out, wrap the tape measure around, read and record the measurement

**You Should see your doctor if your measurements fall within the above mentioned risk range.

How to Combat Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is normally first dealt with by increasing physical activity, decreasing sugar consumption and losing weight. These measures can restore insulin sensitivity to the individual even when there is only a small drop in weight such as around 5 kg (10 to 15 lb). This is especially true when it is stomach fat that is lost. It is sometimes possible to reverse the impact of type 2 diabetes and achieve long-term satisfactory glucose control with these measures alone.

Maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active and following a healthy eating plan can reduce a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 60 per cent.

Although performing stomach exercises will strengthen your abdomen they will not reduce the fat around your stomach. For this you simply need to get out there and exercise. You need to reduce the fat from your stomach and since there is no direct way to target specific areas for fat loss (other than surgery) you simply need to get active.

If you need to lose weight you should consistently use more energy (kilojoules or calories) in a day than you consume. You need to change what and how much you eat and drink and increase your level of physical activity (your energy output).

The most effective and safest way to lose weight is gradually and this is more likely to result in you keeping the weight off. Try to develop a plan and make a few small changes to your lifestyle and habits. Start by making just one or two at a time. Don’t try and make too many sweeping changes at once or it will likely result in a lifestyle that you will find difficult to maintain, and you could end up back where you began.

Here are some suggested steps to make an impact:

1. Don’t drink calories (alcohol, high sugar fruit juices, soft drinks)
2. Drink plenty of water
3. Eat smaller meal portions and eat them slower
4. Start walking to local places instead of driving
5. Park you car a little further away than you normally would so you can increase your walking
6. Find a physical activity you enjoy or is easy to do. The best one to start with is walking. It requires no special equipment and even 30 minutes a day will have a positive impact on your health and weight loss
7. Don’t stress and focus too much on losing weight. This will only lead to you gaining more weight. It will take time but if you start to take small steps you will see results

Finally if you think you may be at risk of developing or having diabetes please start to take action and go and visit your doctor.

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