Many people have come through my clinic doors having been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for a couple of weeks, months or even years but can't tell me what it actually is.
Now, I don't expect that you know the intricacies of the human body, but a basic understanding of what's going on in your own body is important when looking to manage any health condition.
So, lets start looking at type 2 diabetes and understanding exactly what's going on in your body.
First, its important to know that everyone's blood sugar levels fluctuate, whether they have diabetes or not. However, in diabetes, we see blood sugar levels higher than what is seen in people without diabetes.
So what's wrong with having high blood sugar levels, I hear you say?
Well, high blood sugar levels cause damage to the blood vessels that take the blood to all the organs, tissues and muscles of the body. These vessels need to be healthy so they can distribute the oxygen and nutrients to these organs, tissues and muscles, as well as picking up waste to take out of the body.
If these vessels are damaged, that can cause irreparable harm to those organs, tissues and muscles, because they aren't getting the nutrients they need. This is when the complications of diabetes start to creep in, like damage to the eyes, kidneys, reproductive organs or toes and fingers.
So, it's really important that we keep our blood sugar levels within a normal range as much as possible.
Why then, are our blood sugar levels going up when we have type 2 diabetes?
Well, this is due to something called insulin resistance, which you may have heard about.
Insulin is produced by the pancreas, and helps the organs, tissues and muscles take up sugar from the blood. It kind of acts like a key, opening up these body parts so sugar can get inside. In type 2 diabetes, we resist the action of insulin, so instead of the sugar leaving the blood and going into our organs, tissues and muscles, it just hangs around in the blood. It's like having a rusty key, it just doesn't open the door.
And we can measure that by checking your blood and seeing what your blood sugar levels are.
What causes insulin resistance? Well, in part it's genetic, with traits we inherited from our parents. The other part is environmental, meaning the lifestyle we are exposed to. A life of unhealthy foods and little exercise promotes insulin resistance, but so does our age. Gaining weight around the abdomen, rather than the legs for example, is also a factor that can increase our risk of insulin resistance. There are some things we can to do to reduce our insulin resistance, such as eating a healthy diet and being active regularly, having a good sleeping pattern and managing your stress.
If you're ready to take the next step and take control of your health, we're ready for you. Contact us today.