Diabetes rate up 90 percent; 5,700 new cases in Alaska

MAT-SU — If you need any more motivation to see that New Year’s weight loss resolution through, know that losing weight is the best way to prevent diabetes, and diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, non-traumatic amputations and heart attacks and strokes.

Opposed to Type 1 diabetes, which is largely out of one’s control, Type 2 diabetes is preventable. Yet, the numbers are ballooning across the country, and Alaska is far from immune.

“A study looked at the rates of diabetes in adults during 1995 to 1997 compared to 2005 through 2007,” Wasilla endocrinologist Dr. Samuel Abbate said. “Basically what they found was a 90 percent increase, from 4.8 percent to 9.1 percent. In Alaska, what that translates to is 5,700 new cases of diabetes per year based on those higher rates.”

Abbate offered a quick primer on what causes Type 2 diabetes. First, the body becomes insulin resistant. This means it is not as effective at responding to the hormone secreted by the pancreas.

“It’s like having a car with bad gas mileage. The gas is there, but you don’t go as far on it,” Abbate said.

That causes the pancreas to work harder to supply more insulin. However, the pancreas can only keep it up for so long. Eventually, the pancreas becomes overworked and the insulin levels drop.

The main reason this happens, Abbate said, is a person becomes overweight. Supplying insulin to a bigger body mass means what’s created is not used as effectively.

“Again, to the gas mileage analogy,” Abbate said. “When you are pulling a trailer with ATVs on it, the extra weight of the trailer cuts into your mileage.”

However, Abbate said, it is possible to unhook the trailer by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Weight loss is key, he said, and the physical activity to achieve weight loss is important because muscle tissue uses insulin more efficiently.

The good news, he said, is that even small measures have big dividends. A recent study showed that a weight loss of just 7 to 10 percent can lower one’s chances of getting Type 2 diabetes 50 to 60 percent, he said. This was coupled with 30 minutes of exercise equivalent to brisk walking.

“If you have someone who’s 100 pounds overweight, telling them to lose 100 pounds is overwhelming,” Abbate said. “Same with someone who is not physically active. Running five miles every night is just too much to hear.”

What’s even more alarming than the overall rate of increase, Abbate said, is the rise of Type 2 in children. What was once confined to older people as their pancreas wore out is now being seen in a younger population. The fastest growing population segment was people in their 30s, Abbate said.

Parents need to promote a healthy lifestyle for their children starting Day One, he said. It is important for them to get plenty of exercise and eat healthfully, he said, but children learn best by example. Parents need to model that behavior, Abbate said.

“There is a direct correlation between the numbers of hours of television watched and obesity,” he said.

Catching diabetes early certainly helps, Abbate said, and with significant lifestyle changes people can reduce their dependency on medication. But, Abbate referred to it as a “pay me now or pay me later” situation. You are going to have to make the changes, so why not do it before the onset of diabetes. This way, you can avoid the eye, kidney, heart and limb problems mentioned and the 10- to 15-year life expectancy that comes along with them.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.