An ounce of prevention in the new year

With the New Year, comes New Year’s Resolutions. Polls show that weight loss is almost always the most commonly cited resolution. One of the greatest benefits of weight loss is that it greatly decreases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes that occurs in adults.

Type 2 diabetes develops when two problems occur in your body. First, your body does not use insulin efficiently – this is called insulin resistance. Second, your body cannot not produce enough insulin to overcome the insulin resistance.

Think of insulin resistance like gasoline mileage. If your car gets poor mileage, you won’t make it to your destination if you cannot buy enough gasoline.

If your body is insulin resistant, you will not keep your blood glucose values in a healthy range if you cannot make enough insulin. Let’s take the example one step further. If you are pulling a boat or trailer with your car, your gasoline mileage will be less than when you are not pulling a boat. In the same way, if you are carrying some extra pounds, your body will get better “mileage” out of the insulin it makes if you lose those pounds. Losing weight improves how efficiently your body uses insulin so you won’t need to make as much. This is how losing weight reduces your risk of type 2 diabetes.

“Am I at risk for type 2 diabetes?” Yes! Today, one in three persons in our country has a condition known as “prediabetes.” Prediabetes is present when your blood glucose values are higher than normal, but are not at the level found in diabetes. Morning glucose values (before you eat) should be 99 mg/dl or less. Prediabetes is present when your value is 100 to 125 mg/dl. Diabetes is present when this value is 126 mg/dl or more. Ask your doctor to check your value. The good news is that the elevated blood glucose values of prediabetes can return to normal.

In addition to being overweight, there are other risk factors for diabetes. These include: 1. Having close relatives with diabetes; 2. Having high blood pressure; 3. Being over 40 years of age; 4. Not exercising regularly; 5. Being Black, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander; 6. Being male. You can take a test online to determine your risk at: www. diabetes.org/socrisktest.

“What can I do to avoid developing diabetes in the future?” A number of research studies have shown that there are two things that you can do to avoid developing diabetes. First, lose weight. The amount you need to lose may be less than you think. A significant improvement in blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels is seen by losing 5% to 10% from your current weight. People often become discouraged when their doctor tells them their “ideal” body weight. It is often 30, 40 or 50 pounds lower than their current weight. But a 5 to 10% will decrease your risk of developing diabetes significantly.

Second, be active. Being active does not mean joining a gym or becoming a long-distance runner. Thirty minutes of brisk walking, 5 days a week was the amount of activity used in the diabetes prevention trials.

The thirty minutes did not have to be done all at once. Participant could walk 15 minutes twice each day or even 10 minute three times each day.

What was the result of these efforts? The onset of diabetes was decreased by 60%. For participants over age 60, there was a 70% decrease in the onset of diabetes. In 2018 let’s get up, get active and lose some weight.

Dr. Samuel Abbate is an endocrinologist in Wasilla with an office located at 3331 E Meridian Park Loop. Reach his office by phone at (907) 357-2332, or at adecteam.org.