Hello Listeners! Welcome to another edition of Lifeline Rx. I’m Lakeisha Gardiner-Wilson and our health tip for the day is on Diabetes. World Health Day was observed on the 7th of April, under the theme “Beat Diabetes.”
“The number of people living with diabetes has almost quadrupled since 1980 to 422 million adults, with most living in developing countries. The factors driving this dramatic rise include overweight and obesity,” the World Health Organization announced ahead of World Health Day.
Type 2 Diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin to maintain a normal blood glucose level, or the body is unable to use the insulin that is produced – known as insulin resistance.
The pancreas (a large gland behind the stomach) produces the hormone insulin, which moves glucose from your blood into your cells, where it’s converted into energy.
You may ask, “Am I at risk for Type 2 diabetes?
Several risk factors have been associated with type 2 diabetes and include:
• Weight. Being overweight is a primary risk factor for type 2 diabetes. The more fatty tissue you have, the more resistant your cells become to insulin. However, you don’t have to be overweight to develop type 2 diabetes.
• Fat distribution. If your body stores fat primarily in your abdomen, your risk of type 2 diabetes is greater than if your body stores fat elsewhere, such as your hips and thighs.
• Inactivity. The less active you are, the greater your risk of type 2 diabetes. Physical activity helps you control your weight, uses up glucose as energy and makes your cells more sensitive to insulin.
• Family history. The risk of type 2 diabetes increases if your parent or sibling has type 2 diabetes.
• Race. Although it’s unclear why, people of certain races — including blacks, Hispanics, American Indians and Asian-Americans – are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than whites are.
• Age. The risk of type 2 diabetes increases as you get older, especially after age 45. That’s probably because people tend to exercise less, lose muscle mass and gain weight as they age. But type 2 diabetes is also increasing dramatically among children, adolescents and younger adults.
• Prediabetes or Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Left untreated, prediabetes often progresses to type 2 diabetes.
• Gestational diabetes. If you developed gestational diabetes when you were pregnant, your risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases. If you gave birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds (4 kilograms), you’re also at risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome. For women, having polycystic ovarian syndrome – a common condition characterized by irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth and obesity – increases the risk of diabetes.
For additional information regarding Diabetes treatment and management, contact the Health Promotion Unit at 338-3064.
Listeners, if you missed today’s episode of Lifeline RX, you can visit the RTC website at www.rtc107fm.com and click on health matters to listen to this and other episodes. Join us next week for another edition of Lifeline RX.
