Diabetes is a medical condition in which your body is unable to properly convert the food you eat into glucose. Glucose is your body's main source of energy. After a meal, the hormone insulin helps your body to use glucose, or blood sugar. There are different kinds of diabetes. However, with all kinds, either your body does not make enough insulin or it cannot use it properly. You can be born with diabetes or develop it later in life. If you develop this disease at birth, you need to take steps to manage it. In most cases, diabetes that occurs later in life can be avoided by making healthy lifestyle choices. Prevention is the key, and the first step is understanding which diabetes risk factors you have. Then, you can take steps to control the ones you can.
Family History
The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse claims that diabetes can run in the family. Your risk for this disease rises if you have a parent or a sibling with this condition. There are various genetic defects that can cause this disease. These defects can cause diabetes to be present at birth, or they can lie dormant and not cause problems until adolescence or early adulthood. If you have a history of diabetes in your family, it does not mean you will automatically develop it. It does mean that you need to take precautions and control any other risk factors, like the ones listed below. In some cases diabetes can be prevented. If this condition runs in your family, talk to your doctor about forming a plan to help avoid this disease.
Overweight and Over 45
According to the American Diabetes Association, once you reach age 45, your risk of developing diabetes increases. This is due to not only age-related changes, but also lifestyle changes typical of people in this age category. During this period of life, you may become more sedentary and develop other age-related problems, such as heart disease, that raise your risk of diabetes. Being overweight also raises your risk. Eating large meals or too many calories each day requires more insulin to break down the food you consume. Over time, your body may no longer be able to keep up with the demand. You may reach a stage where your body cannot produce enough insulin to utilize glucose. In turn, the level of glucose, or sugar, in your blood can rise, and diabetes can occur. The good news is, explains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), losing just 7 to 10 percent of your current weight can delay or prevent the onset of diabetes.
Being Sedentary and Eating Unhealthy Meals
Being sedentary increases your chances of being overweight, which raises your risk of diabetes. So does overeating too many meals that are processed, high in carbohydrates or high in sugar. The American Medical Association states that getting regular exercise and eating foods high in whole grains, plenty of vegetables and foods low in fat can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Just 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week can also go a long way to lowering your risk.
Pregnancy or Giving Birth to a Baby Over 9 Pounds
If you have given birth to a baby weighing 9 lbs. or more, your risk for diabetes rises. This risk is greater in those who are African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino or Pacific Islander, says the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. In some women, the hormonal changes and weight gain that occur during pregnancy can cause diabetes. This risk increases as the weight of the baby increases and places additional demands for insulin on your body. In some cases, diabetes will resolve after giving birth. Physicians can run simple blood and urine tests during and after pregnancy to determine risk.
References
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse: Diabetes Overview
- CDC: National Diabetes Education Program: Diabetes is Preventable
- American Diabetes Association: Your Risk
- American Medical Association: Diabetes
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse: What I Need to Know About Gestational Diabetes
