Exercise: Good Questions (and Answers)
You don't have to cover 26 miles on foot in order to be called an athlete. You aren't required to crest a mountain or navigate a winding road on two wheels before you're considered physically fit. And just because your doctor told you to get more exercise doesn't mean you need to plug away at the gym for hours and hours on end. Sure, your best friend may run 6 miles a day, but you might get what you need from a brisk walk around the neighborhood. In fact, research shows that almost any physical activity is good activity when it comes to your health. Being active protects against cardiovascular disease and stroke, helps the lungs and heart work at peak performance, fights high cholesterol and high blood pressure, lessens arthritis pain, prevents falls in older adults, relieves stress, combats osteoporosis, and encourages weight loss. Exercising may also help you get a better night's sleep, revive a lagging libido, keep you healthier after a heart attack, and even improve your mood. For people with diabetes, exercise is even more of a boon, since it can lower blood glucose levels and improve insulin sensitivity. If you've just been diagnosed and wonder how you'll get in shapeor if you've had diabetes for a long time but still want to be more activethere's no time like the present. "Don't use diabetes as an excuse not to exercise. Use it as an excuse to exercise," says Sheri R. Colberg, PhD, an exercise physiologist and professor of exercise science at Old Dominion University and author of Diabetic Athlete's Handbook. To help you launch a successful fitness plan, we grilled the experts on the basics of exercising with diabetes. A reader tells his story of learning to manage diabetes during exercise, here. Everyone, not just people with diabetes, needs to exercise regularl Continue reading >>
Articles Ontype 2 Diabetes
Diabetes is a life-long disease that affects the way your body handles glucose, a kind of sugar, in your blood. Most people with the condition have type 2. There are about 27 million people in the U.S. with it. Another 86 million have prediabetes: Their blood glucose is not normal, but not high enough to be diabetes yet. Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin. It's what lets your cells turn glucose from the food you eat into energy. People with type 2 diabetes make insulin, but their cells don't use it as well as they should. Doctors call this insulin resistance. At first, the pancreas makes more insulin to try to get glucose into the cells. But eventually it can't keep up, and the sugar builds up in your blood instead. Usually a combination of things cause type 2 diabetes, including: Genes. Scientists have found different bits of DNA that affect how your body makes insulin. Extra weight. Being overweight or obese can cause insulin resistance, especially if you carry your extra pounds around the middle. Now type 2 diabetes affects kids and teens as well as adults, mainly because of childhood obesity. Metabolic syndrome. People with insulin resistance often have a group of conditions including high blood glucose, extra fat around the waist, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol and triglycerides. Too much glucose from your liver. When your blood sugar is low, your liver makes and sends out glucose. After you eat, your blood sugar goes up, and usually the liver will slow down and store its glucose for later. But some people's livers don't. They keep cranking out sugar. Bad communication between cells. Sometimes cells send the wrong signals or don't pick up messages correctly. When these problems affect how your cells make and use insulin or glucose, a chain reac Continue reading >>
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Type 2 Diabetes Faq - Quick Answers To The Most Common Questions
Written by Amy Hess-Fischl MS, RD, LDN, BC-ADM, CDE What is type 2 diabetes? Type 2 diabetes is when your body doesnt use insulin properly. In type 2 diabetes, some people are insulin resistant, meaning that their body produces a lot of insulin but cant use it effectively.Some people with type 2 diabetes dont produce enough insulin. Type 2 is different from type 1 diabetes because in type 1, your body doesnt produce any insulin at all. Whether youre insulin resistant or have too little insulin, the end result is the same in type 2 diabetes:your blood glucose level is too high. What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes? The symptoms of type 2 diabetes (also called type 2 diabetes mellitus) develop graduallyso gradually, in fact, that its possible to miss them or to not connect them as related symptoms.Some of the common symptoms of type 2 diabetes: For more information on the symptoms of type 2 diabetes, please read our article on type 2 symptoms . Type 2 diabetes has several causes:genetics and lifestyle are the most important ones.A combination of these factors can cause insulin resistance, when your body doesnt use insulin as well as it should.Insulin resistance is the most common cause of type 2 diabetes. To get more details on this, please read our article on the causes of type 2 diabetes . What are the risk factors for type 2 diabetes? Type 2 diabetes has many risk factors associated with it, mostly related to lifestyle choices.But in order to develop insulin resistance (an inability for your body to use insulin as it should) and type 2 diabetes, you must also have a genetic abnormality.Along the same lines, some people with type 2 diabetes dont produce enough insulin; that is also due to a genetic abnormality. That is, not everyone can develop type 2 diabetes.Addi Continue reading >>
Diabetes, Type 2 Questions
How can I stop the diarrhea caused by metformin? Posted 25 Feb 2013 by oxmoore 40 answers I was just diagnosed with diabetes. Last week my doctor prescribed metformin to me. I take one 500mg pill two times a day. I have been having diarrhea about 2 hours after each dose. Is this normal and will it go away? I, also, take lisinopril for blood pressure and a baby aspirin for heart ... Conflicting stories about taking metformin - will it help my weight and PCOS? Posted 14 May 2012 by PurpleButterfies 6 answers My gyno prescribed metformin 500 mg 2 x day for PCOS. He said it was an anti-diabetic but that it is also taken for PCOS. I have had a hard time managing my weight and he thought that it would help. Well I just saw a gastroenterologist for some other issues, and he said I was on a lot of ... Posted 21 Feb 2013 by dschmitta 6 answers Have had this for about 3 years now, noticed a progressive numbing in my left foot. Bottom is totaly numb, toes are almost totally and top and sides are getting there. My brother has a hereditary disease where his feet, legs and hands go numb to where he has trouble walking or picking things up. ... What time intervals does the medical dosage of twice a day mean? Posted 24 Apr 2013 by tealady21 2 answers My father's metformin and metoprolol medications stipulate twice a day with meals. what is the minimum interval of the dosages? I am cocerned about the erratic manner he i given these medications, just with meals, regardless of hen the meals are taken. Metformin - 1000mg x2 day has it caused any weight gain with anyone? A1C normal for 4 years, should I ask doc to reduce cause I feel I'm gaining weight the longer I'm taking it, but I have no other side effects. Weight gain is not a phobia/image thing it's a health concern only because I'm Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes Faqs
Reviewed by );"John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP on November 1, 2017 Take the Type 2 Diabetes Quiz First! Before reading this FAQ, challenge yourself and A:Adult-onset diabetes is another term for type 2 diabetes , or diabetes mellitus. Type 2 diabetes is often referred to as adult-onset diabetes because it is often diagnosed in adults, though children and teens may also develop the disease. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition characterized by high blood sugar ( glucose ) levels caused by the body's inability to use insulin properly. Q:What is the name for the hormone that helps the body use sugar for energy? A:The hormone that helps the body use sugar (glucose) for energy is called insulin. Insulin is made by the body in the pancreas and when the body cannot produce enough insulin on its own, it needs to be taken by injection or other means. Everyone who has type 1 diabetes (previously known as juvenile diabetes) must take some form of insulin therapy. Some people with type 2 diabetes will also need insulin supplementation. There are different types of insulin available, and they differ in chemical structure and how long they last in the body. Q:The pancreas is name of the organ in the body that makes insulin. True or false? The organ in the body that makes insulin is the pancreas. This hand-sized organ is located behind the lower part of the stomach. It produces enzymes to help digest food in the intestine and makes hormones including insulin, which is important in regulating blood sugar levels. Q:How do type 1 and type 2 diabetes differ? A:There are differences between type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes used to be called juvenile diabetes because it tends to develop in childhood as a result of a damaged pancreas that produces little to no insulin. In co Continue reading >>
Questions And Answers: Type 2 Diabetes And Eating Disorders
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Type 2 Diabetes and Eating Disorders QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Type 2 Diabetes and Eating Disorders Q. Several of my patients have type 2 diabetes (T2DM) but, unlike the case with type 1 disease, I rarely see much in the literature about T2DM and eating disorders. What do we know about T2DM and ED? (VM, Cincinnati) A. You are right; there has long been a marked focus on T1DM. It is natural for the spotlight to remain on patients with type 1 diabetes because these patients may be especially vulnerable to over-concern about weight and shape, body dissatisfaction, preoccupation with food, and dietary restraint. Furthermore, disordered eating has been shown to increase risk for diabetic complications. However, three recent studies have added more to our knowledge about T2DM and EDs, particularly binge eating disorder (BED). Dr. Joana Nicolau and colleagues reported the results of a study of 320 randomly selected primary care clinic or endocrine clinic patients with T2DM. After screening all subjects with the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) and the Questionnaire of Eating and Weight Patterns-Revised (QEWP-R), the researchers found that, overall, 14% of the volunteers also had eating disorders. The most prevalent disorder was BED, which was diagnosed in 12.2% of the subjects, based on the QEPW-R (Acta Diabetol. 2015; Apr 5. Doi 10.1007/s00592-015-0742-z. Epub before print]. Those with a positive screening for BED also were younger, had a shorter duration of T2DM symptoms, and greater body mass indexes. Among those with BED, depression and EAT scores were significantly higher. Individuals with a positive screening for an eating disorder had higher triglyceride levels than did subjects without T2DM. In contrast, glycemic control was not different between Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes
Whether you have type 2 diabetes, are a caregiver or loved one of a person with type 2 diabetes, or just want to learn more, the following page provides an overview of type 2 diabetes. New to type 2 diabetes? Check out “Starting Point: Type 2 Diabetes Basics” below, which answers some of the basic questions about type 2 diabetes: what is type 2 diabetes, what are its symptoms, how is it treated, and many more! Want to learn a bit more? See our “Helpful Links” page below, which provides links to diaTribe articles focused on type 2 diabetes. These pages provide helpful tips for living with type 2 diabetes, drug and device overviews, information about diabetes complications, nutrition and food resources, and some extra pages we hope you’ll find useful! Starting Point: Type 2 Diabetes Basics Who is at risk of developing type 2 diabetes? What is the risk of developing type 2 diabetes if it runs in the family? What is type 2 diabetes and prediabetes? Behind type 2 diabetes is a disease where the body’s cells have trouble responding to insulin – this is called insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone needed to store the energy found in food into the body’s cells. In prediabetes, insulin resistance starts growing and the beta cells in the pancreas that release insulin will try to make even more insulin to make up for the body’s insensitivity. This can go on for a long time without any symptoms. Over time, though, the beta cells in the pancreas will fatigue and will no longer be able to produce enough insulin – this is called “beta burnout.” Once there is not enough insulin, blood sugars will start to rise above normal. Prediabetes causes people to have higher-than-normal blood sugars (and an increased risk for heart disease and stroke). Left unnoticed or Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes Questions | Everyday Health
Everyday Solutions are created by Everyday Health on behalf of our partners. More Information Content in this special section was created or selected by the Everyday Health editorial team and is funded by an advertising sponsor. The content is subject to Everyday Healths editorial standards for accuracy, objectivity, and balance. The sponsor does not edit or influence the content but may suggest the general topic area. A type 2 diabetes diagnosis will prompt a lot of questions. Here are answers to 10 FAQs on type 2 diabetes, covering treatment, symptoms and more. A diagnosis of type 2 diabetes tends to elicit one of two reactions, says R. Paul Robertson, MD: "Some people deny it, and others want to talk about it. The people who want to talk about it usually don't have a lot of information," says Robertson, president, Medicine and Science for the American Diabetes Association, and professor of medicine and pharmacology at the University of Washington, Seattle. More than 20 million people in the United States have diabetes. If you or a loved one has been affected by type 2 diabetes, here are answers to 10 common questions on risk factors, symptoms, and treatment . Your First 10 Questions about Type 2 Diabetes 1. What is prediabetes? Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they go through a period during which their blood sugar (or blood glucose) levels rise, but not high enough to qualify as full-fledged diabetes. This is prediabetes, and it is the time in which diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes can delay or even prevent the onset of diabetes. 2. What causes type 2 diabetes and who is at risk? No one knows exactly what causes this type of diabetes. While genetics appear to play a role, physical inactivity and obesity are two of the biggest risk factors for type 2 diab Continue reading >>
8 Common Diabetes Questions Answered
Health.com -- Nearly 24 million Americans have diabetes; another 57 million have prediabetes, a precursor to the disease. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that if the diabetes epidemic continues, one in three Americans will develop it in his or her lifetime. That's especially bad news for women, because the disease can affect both mother and child during pregnancy, and women with diabetes are more likely to have a heart attack (and at a younger age) than women without diabetes. Along with the worries about diabetes, there's a lot of misinformation (like skinny girls can't get the disease, or eating too much candy causes it), which is why we've gathered expert answers to the most common questions. What's the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes? Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. It's most often diagnosed in patients under 18, but it can strike at any age. Type 1 diabetics need insulin to manage the disease. In type 2 diabetes, the body loses its sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that helps muscles absorb and use blood sugar. Traditionally, type 2 diabetes was diagnosed in older people. But with the rise in obesity, it's now being diagnosed at younger ages, sometimes even in children. Some traditionally thin populations are also being diagnosed with the disease as well. Type 2 is generally treated with changes to diet and exercise habits, as well as oral medication or insulin. How will I know if I have diabetes? Diabetes may cause no symptoms at all, but some signs include frequent thirst and hunger, having to urinate more than usual, losing weight without trying to, fatigue, and crankiness. If you're concerned, get your blood-glucose level checked, says Deborah Fillm Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes Faqs
Common questions about type 2 diabetes: How do you treat type 2 diabetes? When you have type 2 diabetes, you first need to eat a healthy diet, stay physically active and lose any extra weight. If these lifestyle changes cannot control your blood sugar, you also may need to take pills and other injected medication, including insulin. Eating a healthy diet, being physically active, and losing any extra weight is the first line of therapy. “Diet and exercise“ is the foundation of all diabetes management because it makes your body’s cells respond better to insulin (in other words, it decreases insulin resistance) and lowers blood sugar levels. If you cannot normalize or control the blood sugars with diet, weight loss and exercise, the next treatment phase is taking medicine either orally or by injection. Diabetes pills work in different ways – some lower insulin resistance, others slow the digestion of food or increase insulin levels in the blood stream. The non-insulin injected medications for type 2 diabetes have a complicated action but basically lower blood glucose after eating. Insulin therapy simply increases insulin in the circulation. Don’t be surprised if you have to use multiple medications to control the blood sugar. Multiple medications, also known as combination therapy is common in the treatment of diabetes! If one medication is not enough, you medical provider may give you two or three or more different types of pills. Insulin or other injected medications also may be prescribed. Or, depending on your medical condition, you may be treated only with insulin or injected medication therapy. Many people with type 2 diabetes have elevated blood fats (high triglycerides and cholesterol) and blood pressure, so you may be given medications for these problem Continue reading >>
Answers To Five Key Questions About Type 2 Diabetes
Answers to five key questions about type 2 diabetes If you were recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you probably have a lot of questions about things youve heard throughout the years about diabetes. If so, this article is for you. WebMD asks a physician to address five of the important questions that people with diabetes have: 1) Does having type 2 diabetes mean you have to give up sugar completely? 2) Is it better to eat frequently through the day? 4) How does sleep and stress affect diabetes? 5) Are there any promising treatments ahead for diabetes? These are excellent questions and the answers are straightforward and quite motivating. Understanding that sleep deprivation is associated with eating more and gaining weight may be good motivation to get the amount of sleep you need. Learning that having diabetes DOESNT mean that you cant ever have another bowl of ice cream again may help you stick to a moderate eating plan. So start learning and youll be along the path towards better diabetes management. Continue reading >>
15 Questions For Your Doctor About Type 2 Diabetes
15 Questions for Your Doctor About Type 2 Diabetes Once youve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, open communication with a doctor you trust will be key to managing your health. Sign Up for Our Everyday Health: Diabetes Step-by-Step Newsletter Thanks for signing up! You might also like these other newsletters: Sign up for more FREE Everyday Health newsletters . Now that you know what it means to have type 2 diabetes, you're ready to have a dialogue with your doctor about how you'll manage this disease together. Here are 15 questions to get the conversation started. Do you have special training in diabetes? If not, can you refer me to a specialist ? How many patients with type 2 diabetes do you see? What tests will you do at regular office visits? How often do I have to have the tests, and what will they tell you? Is there anything I need to do in advance of the tests? For example, do I need to fast if Im going to have a blood-sugar test? Can you refer me to a diabetes educator or a registered dietitian? I have a family history of heart attack and/or stroke . Will my diabetes put me at greater risk for those problems? How can I tell if my blood sugar is too high or too low? What should I do about either high or low blood sugar? Will I have to test my own blood sugar at home every day? Continue reading >>
Bariatric Surgery And Type 2 Diabetes: Diabetes Questions & Answers
Bariatric Surgery and Type 2 Diabetes: Diabetes Questions & Answers Q. I heard about a type of bariatric surgery being done in Brazil called ileal transposition surgery that may cure Type 2 diabetes . As I understand it, it involves moving the part of the small intestine called the ileum from the far end of the intestine to the near end, right next to the stomach. Can you comment on the success rate of this surgery and whether it might become available in the United States? A. Actually, this surgery is already being done in the United States. About five years ago, surgeons at the University of Texas in Houston began developing a trial to pilot this operation, and the first patient had the surgery done in March 2012. Since that time, three other patients have undergone the sleeve gastrectomy with ileal transposition (SGIT) surgery, as it is known. All of the patients who had this surgery done had lived with diabetes for five or more years, and all had a glycosylated hemoglobin ( HbA1c ) level, a measure of how much glucose is in the blood, greater than 7.5% (normal is less than 6%) despite being on insulin and at least two oral medicines to treat their diabetes. We offered these patients the opportunity to have this operation under strict inclusion and exclusion criteria and under the scrutiny of an internal review board and data safety monitoring board. That is, we did it by the books to make sure the science was right and safe. All four patients had the operation successfully and without any major complications. All the surgeries were done laparoscopically (meaning that tiny instruments were inserted through small incisions to perform the operation), and the average hospital stay was about three days. The patients were followed up at one-month intervals for three cons Continue reading >>
Answers To Diabetes Questions - Premier Healthnet
Dr. Gendler talks about what diabetes is. Click play to watch the video or read the transcript . Diabetes is actually a very sneaky disease. We have two types of diabetes; diabetes Type One and diabetes Type 2. Type 2 diabetes is much more common and were going to concentrate on that one today. Diabetes is the disorder of sugar digestion and does include insulin which your body is making in your pancreas. It is much more involved in the process. I want to tell you it is not only about high sugar but its also about low blood sugar as well because we have to keep our sugar in a very narrow, therapeutic window and whenever the sugar is too high or too low it is dangerous for the body and for our wellbeing. So I would like to tell you that it is very important to know some very simple things you can do to prevent yourself or just to make it better and to fight the disease if you already have it. I would like to tell you that you will definitely have to concentrate on lifestyle modification which includes diet and exercising. It was proven definitely that moderate exercising, which probably includes 30 or 40 minutes per day, three or four times/week, may prolong your life 10 years. So it is number one and if you do it and are consistent with that you are going to get some benefit. Secondly, diet. If you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, when you have abnormal blood sugar but we dont label it as diabetes yet but if you dont do anything right away you are definitely going to have diabetes. So diet is very important. First of all we have to eliminate all simple sugars. If you like to drink iced tea, try to drink unsweetened iced tea. If you liked baked products I would like to limit you that, cakes, cookies, all that is not good for you. Any starch containing products like potato Continue reading >>
Frequently Asked Questions About Diabetes
Contact > CDA > Information and Support Services > Frequently Asked Questions about Diabetes Frequently Asked Questions about Diabetes Have a question about diabetes? Get quick answers to the most frequently asked questions. If your question is not answered below, please feel free to call us at 1-800-BANTING (226-8464) or email us at [email protected] . I have just been recently diagnosed, what should I do? Whether you have been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you can live a long and healthy life by eating healthy, being physically active, and taking medications (if prescribed) to keep your blood glucose (sugar) in your target range. Read about Treatments & Management and learn more in our Healthy Living Resources . Online tools are also available from Taking Charge of My Diabetes . Visiting a diabetes education center (DEC) is a great way to learn more about diabetes and how to manage your blood sugar. To find a DEC near you, contact Diabetes Canada by calling toll-free at 1-800-BANTING (226-8464) or email [email protected] . Diabetes can be diagnosed with different blood tests taken at a lab. Many people have no symptoms of diabetes. If you are over the age of 40 or are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, you should have you blood sugar checked. For information on the signs and symptoms and the lab values that indicate diabetes, visit Signs & Symptoms . What is the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes and their causes? Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune disease which affects the persons ability to make any insulin. People with type 2 diabetes do make insulin but it may not be enough, or their bodies cannot use the insulin that is made. There is no known cause for type 1 diabetes, but some things can increase a persons risk for type Continue reading >>
