From Cleveland Clinic
I was visiting with two friends I’ve known for 50 years, catching up on kids, grandkids and retirement plans when the subject inevitably turned to health.
For me, it’s lousy joints. I’m dealing with a bum hip at the moment. Both of my friends, however, were dealing with diabetes or pre-diabetes, common conditions, especially as we age.
Since November is Diabetes Awareness Month, now’s a good time to get a few facts and tips from a Cleveland Clinic doctor. Here’s what he has to say:
According to the CDC, more than 38 million Americans have diabetes, with 90 to 95% of those having Type 2 diabetes. And on top of that, another 98 million Americans have prediabetes.
“We are seeing this not only in the Western world, but we’re also seeing it in the rest of the world as well,” says Peminda Cabandugama, MD, endocrinologist for Cleveland Clinic. “It’s something that’s an eye-opener. And when you tie it into the obesity pandemic that we have going on, I think there’s a lot of work to be done in this space.”
Prediabetes is when your blood sugar levels are elevated but are not high enough to be Type 2 diabetes. If left untreated, Type 2 diabetes can cause serious health issues, like heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, vision loss, and nerve damage. Type 2 diabetes cannot be cured.
However, a person can reverse prediabetes. So, how do you go about doing that? Dr. Cabandugama says, by eating healthy and exercising regularly. But those aren’t the only factors that play a role. Sleep and stress matter, too.
“The world has changed from what we had maybe a few years ago. Stress levels are higher. Our sleep is not as good. Our diet is not as good. We tend to be more sedentary. Especially with COVID, I think we were a lot more sedentary,” he says. “And now I think people are starting to kind of realize that. So, all these concepts together have brought out all these chronic diseases and prediabetes is one of them, just like obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol is part of it.”
Prediabetes is diagnosed using a blood test. Symptoms aren’t always obvious, which is why annual check-ups are important.
