18 Truths People With Type 1 Diabetes Wish Others Understood

Diabetes affects more than 29 million Americans and 380 million people worldwide. By 2030, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that number to more than double. Diabetes takes the life of one American every three minutes, and it’s a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, amputations, heart failure and stroke.
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are the most common forms of the disease; type 1 is a more severe autoimmune form of diabetes that generally develops in children and teenagers and requires life-long insulin therapy, whereas type 2 typically appears during adulthood and can usually be managed through diet and exercise. Despite the large numbers above, diabetes remains a widely misunderstood disease — many do not even realize more than one type exists.
The Mighty teamed up with Diabetes Research Institute to ask their community what they want others to understand about type 1 diabetes. Here’s what they had to say:
1. “It’s insulin or death. No pills, no diet, no exercise will make it go away.” —Kelly Connelly Enriquez
2. “It’s bad, but please don’t make that face and say ‘I’m sorry!’” —Dawn Melvin Bobbitt
3. “I wish people understood the difference between type 1 and type 2.” —Lisa Inglis
4. “There is nothing I or my parents could have done to avoid having to live with type 1 diabetes.” —Jalissa Gascho
5. “It takes over your life.” —Adrienne Roberts
6. “It’s very unpredictable.” —Nicole Porth
7. “Over the years, the one thing that really annoys me is when people ask ‘should you be eating that.’ If som Continue reading

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Paleo vs. Alzheimer’s & Type 3 Diabetes

Dave loved his job as a financial analyst. He was 66 years old when he left work one day and couldn’t figure out how to get home. In the following months, his work performance declined to the point where he was asked to retire. He became more confused, felt chronically fatigued, and even the simplest tasks became very complicated. Eventually, his eyesight declined, his speech became unintelligible, and he stopped recognizing those nearest and dearest to him. Dave’s daughter had to quit her job to take care of him and now they live together in the unforgiving world of Alzheimer’s.
What is Alzheimer’s?
Sixty to eighty percent of dementia cases are Alzheimer’s, a disease characterized by the emergence of beta-amyloid plaques and tangles called Tau in the hippocampus region of the brain that controls memory. Beta-amyloid builds up between nerve cells and inhibits signaling while Tau forms inside cells and disrupts transport systems for nutrients and other essential compounds.
As beta-amyloid and Tau spread to other neural regions, affected cells die and cognition and biological functions worsen. Originally, it was thought that beta-amyloid or Tau drove the disease. Newer theories focus on genetic and epigenetic drivers as well as inflammatory processes, metabolic dysfunctions and even infections as mechanisms. Although nobody knows the actual cause(s), Alzheimer’s is increasingly thought to be the result of a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. (1)
The Reach of Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s affects 5.4 million Americans with 5.2 million of th Continue reading

Just two sugary drinks per week may raise type 2 diabetes risk

New research — appearing in the Journal of the Endocrine Society — examined 36 existing studies published in the past 10 years to look at the possible effects of sugary drinks on cardiometabolic health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) report that at least 19 million yearly deaths are from cardiometabolic disorders – an umbrella term for cardiovascular disease and conditions such as metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
In the United States, a study from 2012 reports that in that year, 702,308 people died from a cardiometabolic disorder, and dietary factors such as food and beverages seemed to raise the risk of cardiometabolic mortality.
Another recent study suggested that two soda drinks every day makes consumers 2.4 times more likely to develop diabetes, regardless of whether these beverages contain sugar or not.
However, as the authors of the new research explain, the results of such studies have been deemed "controversial."
So, in the new review, the researchers — led by M. Faadiel Essop, Ph.D., of Stellenbosch University in Stellenbosch, South Africa — decided to investigate overall trends in the findings of 36 studies, spanning over a decade.
The harms of sugary drinks
Essop and colleagues included clinical trials, both controlled and randomized, as well as observational studies in their analysis.
The studies were from the last decade, ending as recently as September 2017, and predominantly examined participants who consumed over five sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) a week – or the equivalent of less than one such drink a day.
Although some of these Continue reading

13 Best Exercise Tips for Type 2 Diabetes People

Well to let you know on the simple thumb rule for diabetes, exercise has always been highly recommended. Shed away those inhibitions about exercise being unsafe and lethargic, as nothing beats the way a proper exercise can heal your body.
For most of the diabetic patients, diagnosed with the Type 2 variant, exercise is something that should be on top of your to-do list along with medications. Exercise is known to help curb the high blood sugar levels and keep the blood glucose levels in check. That helps a long way in stabilizing your body and keeping it off the risks.
But the thing with exercise is that it may seem daunting and intimidate at first. Should that stop you from bending your back then? No, it shouldn’t. However, we won’t advise you to directly dive into it straightaway too. How about starting with a low profile where we slowly build up the work rate? That’ll help better to calibrate ample exercise in your schedule.
We here would help you around with the list of best exercise tips that shall work wonders for you. Read along for ‘List of all the best Exercise Tips for Type 2 Diabetes People’, then.
1. A quick 30-minute workout is best
As a general recommendation, it is strongly advised to have around 30 minutes of workout every single day. A diabetic patient should be up and move during the time period. If you can persist with a single 30-minute session without break, that’s great. Otherwise, you can time it with breaks and make at least 30-minutes of working out in a day.
2. Indulge in various household chores
Rather than just going through a single Continue reading

Type 2 diabetes: Up to 74 Victorians a day being diagnosed

New figures show the number of Victorians diagnosed with diabetes has reached the "critical mark" of 300,000 and another 500,000 people are at "high risk" of developing type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes Australia Victoria statistics show 27,000 Victorians were diagnosed with the disease last year, the equivalent of 74 cases a day.
Its chief executive Craig Bennett said he was very concerned about the figures.
In just two years' time, diabetes will be the leading cause of disease burden in Australia, overtaking heart disease.
While there is no cure for type 1 diabetes, which makes up about 10 per cent of cases, it is a different situation for type 2 diabetes.
It is know as a lifestyle disease, brought on by eating too much of the wrong food and not exercising enough.
"We do know from evidence that regular physical activity and a healthy diet can reduce the chances of people being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes by about 60 per cent," Mr Bennett said.
"We want all Victorians, whether they have diabetes or not, to eat well and be physically active," he said.
People with elevated blood glucose levels have pre-diabetes, which puts them at risk of developing the disease.
About 500,000 Victorians fall into that category and when combined with those who already have the disease, almost 800,000 people are affected.
"They're very challenging statistics," Mr Bennett said.
"We have our work cut out and we're very keen for people to get the message that they need to eat well, exercise regularly and reduce their chances of getting diagnosed with what is a very difficult and complex disease." Continue reading