According to the American Diabetes Association, 8.3 percent of Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes. This figure includes 18.8 million people that have been diagnosed with diabetes and 7 million people who are unaware of their condition. If your diabetes is uncontrolled you have an increased risk of developing diabetes complications. In fact, 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes will experience nervous system complications, which can affect the feet.
Diabetes
Your body runs on glucose. When you eat, your body breaks down the carbohydrates in your food into glucose, which circulates in your blood and is transferred into cells that use it for energy. This mechanism occurs with the assistance of insulin; the insulin hormone triggers your cells to take in glucose from your blood. When you have diabetes, this sequence is compromised. Your body becomes either unable to produce and secrete insulin or your cells become resistant to it. In both cases, diabetes can cause an unsafe rise in blood glucose.
Diabetic Neuropathy
Diabetic neuropathy results after prolonged elevated blood glucose. This condition damages the nervous system, causing pain, numbness and tingling in the extremities. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, diabetic neuropathy may be caused by a combination of high blood glucose, high blood triglyceride levels and low insulin levels---all characteristics of uncontrolled blood glucose.
Diabetic Neuropathy and Feet
Peripheral neuropathy is the form of diabetic neuropathy most likely to affect your feet. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include sharp pains and cramps, numbness and tingling, extreme sensitivity to touch but insensitivity to temperature and problems with balance. Because your feet may become painful yet numb, walking may become difficult for you. Foot deformities including hammertoes, blisters and infections are also likely to occur.
Diet for Diabetes
One key to controlling blood glucose is to moderate your glucose intake. You can choose from two dietary approaches. You can try to control your intake of glucose by counting carbohydrates, striving to keep each meal at 15 g of carbs or less. You can also try eating according to the glycemic index, which is a way of ranking food based on its effect on blood glucose levels. On the glycemic index foods are given a number from 0 to 100: the higher the rating, the larger the effect on your glucose levels. A food with a score of 0 to 55 is a low glycemic food, foods scoring 56 to 69 are moderate glycemic foods and those that score 70 to 100 are high glycemic foods. For optimal blood glucose control, stick with low or moderate glycemic foods---for example, apples, barley, orange juice, bran cereal, oatmeal, brown rice, yogurt, bananas, pears, citrus, legumes and nuts. Before starting any new diet or eating plan, always consult your doctor.
Blood Glucose Levels
Testing your blood glucose regularly allows you to take steps to keep your blood glucose in a healthy range and correct it before complications like neuropathy occur. If you have diabetes, you should test glucose in the morning, after eating and before bed. Your fasting glucose should remain less than 110 mg/dL, after eating it should ideally be under 140 mg/dL and before bed it should be between 100 and 140 mg/dL.
References
- Amerian Diabetes Association: Diabetes Statistics
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse: Diabetic Neuropathies: The Nerve Damage of Diabetes
- American Diabetes Association: Type 2 Diabetes
- "Cecil Essentials of Medicine"; Thomas Andreoli, M.D. Charles Carpenter, M.D., Robert Griggs, M.D., Joseph Loscalzo, M.D., eds.; 2004
- Mayo Clinic: Glycemic Index Diet: Losing Weight With Blood Sugar Control; November 24, 2009
- Harvard Health Publications: Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load of 100+ Foods
