What is Type 2 Diabetes?

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), Type 2 Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose (blood sugar) levels are above normal. When a person has Type 2 Diabetes, their body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t properly use the insulin made by the body.  It is the most common type, and accounts for about 90%-95% of diagnosed diabetes in U.S. adults.  It usually begins as insulin resistance, a disorder in which cells, primarily within the muscles, liver, and fat tissue, do not use insulin properly.

A person  who has type 2 diabetes is  twice as likely to have a heart attack and/or stroke than a person who doesn’t have it.  Other major complications associated with diabetes are amputations of legs and feet, end-stage renal disease, and death due to high blood sugar (hyperglycemic) crisis.

According to Dr. Sears, founder of the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute, as we get older, our cells become less sensitive to insulin, which leaves a higher level of glucose in the bloodstream. This higher level of glucose in your bloodstream could lead to prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.  Additionally, according to the CDC, people who don’t make lifestyle changes to address prediabetes could develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years of being diagnosed with prediabetes.  However,  there is good news.  This type of diabetes is preventable.  Making  small changes to your lifestyle could significantly lower your risk for type 2 diabetes.

Who is at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes?

*Age over 45

*High blood pressure (0ver 130/85)

*Lack of physical activity

*Family history of diabetes

*History of diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes)

*Obesity/overweight

*African-American, Latino, Asian, Native American, or Pacific Island ethnicity

The only way to know if you have type 2 diabetes (or prediabetes) is to take a blood sugar test.  Your primary care physician can order one for you.   If you don’t know your status, don’t delay, schedule a test today.

Learn how Prime-Time Health can help prevent and/or reverse type 2 diabetes.

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Your partner in health and wellness,

Coach Cindy