Stressing The Difference Between Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes: Why Do We Care?

“That’s what people get when they eat too much sugar.”
A chance remark and nothing of note to the woman that said it. But to me, it stung.
This was overheard while waiting for my prescription in Lloyds Pharmacy. A little boy keen for knowledge asked his mother to explain what a poster concerning undiagnosed diabetes was about.
I have been irked by the campaign this poster is a part of for some time already. They were first displayed during Diabetes Awareness Week back in June but have remained in stores, tacked to the front desks and to outside windows, ever since. They state that “11 million people have undiagnosed diabetes in the UK.” It uses the word ‘diabetes’ as one sweeping, blanket label. If you squint you might notice a tiny little asterisk alongside the word, which denotes ‘type 2’, written in nondescript letters in the bottom right hand corner.
Within the diabetes online community the lumping together of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes is often a hot topic. But it recently occurred to me that I’ve never addressed it myself in a blog, despite having spoken a lot about it in offline conversations and on social media. After the incident in Lloyds Pharmacy it struck me that I needed to write that blog. This one.
Let me stress from the outset this is not about attacking people with type 2 diabetes or waging a war of type 1 vs. type 2. That unpleasantness is something I hate. Diabetes is a pain in the arse for anyone that has it, and we all have the right to moan and vent if we need to. But there are differences here which must be made clear whenever the Continue reading

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Does Diabetes Cause Varicose Veins? What’s The Connection

A varicose veins is a common problem which affects both men as well as women. Around 40 million people are known to be affected by this condition in which there is an acute pain in the body and the movement of the affected area becomes a problem. It is important to treat this because if the condition is allowed to grow, it may lead to serious threats such as thrombosis, blood clotting problems, ulcers, sores in the ankle area amongst other complications. In most of the cases, diabetes is believed to be the main cause of varicose veins. However, the same may not always hold true because many people who are diabetic do not have varicose veins and vice versa. Let us further analyze the relationship between varicose veins and diabetes in the article that follows.
So, come and join in for the article “Does Diabetes Cause Varicose Veins?”
What are Varicose Veins?
Varicose veins are the large, blue-colored veins that can be easily seen through the skin. The most common area of the body where you can witness these enlarged and twisted veins are on the legs.
The body has a mechanism that prevents the back flow of blood through the valves of the veins. In certain cases, when this mechanism of the body fails, varicose veins start appearing. As a result, the blood which does not have oxygen in sufficient quantity is accumulated in the veins and is not taken back to the lungs for restarting the circulation of blood. It is for this reason that you see the purple colored bulging veins which accumulate in the body.Varicose veins also cause venous insufficiency which again is a problem Continue reading

Got pre-diabetes? Here's five things to eat or avoid to prevent type 2 diabetes

Pre-diabetes is diagnosed when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as having type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes is an early alert that your diabetes risk is now very high. It is ten to 20 times greater compared to the risk for those with normal blood sugars. What you choose to eat, or avoid, influences this risk.
Diabetes Prevention Programs
Studies around the world, including Finland, China and the US have shown diabetes prevention programs prevent or delay progression to type 2 diabetes. When people eat more healthily, drop their body weight by 5-10% and walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, they lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by about 58% over two years.
We recently gave 101 men with pre-diabetes a self-directed diabetes prevention program over six months. We found they were able to reduce their portion size of potato and meat and improve their variety of health foods. They were able to reduce the proportion of energy coming from junk food by 7.6% more than the group who didn't change their diet and got a four-point increase in their scores from the Healthy Eating Quiz. These improved eating patterns were associated with an average weight loss of 5.5kg and better blood sugar regulation.
This is great news for the 318 million adults around the world, including two million Australians, who have pre-diabetes.
The original diabetes prevention studies started in the 1980s. Back then the advice was to reduce your total kilojoule intake by eating less fat, especially from take-away, processed and fried foods and t Continue reading

Diabetes and Diet

There is no one diet for all people with diabetes. There is, however, a "recipe" for eating healthfully that is similar to recommendations for heart health, cancer prevention and weight management.
To successfully manage diabetes, you need to understand how foods and nutrition affect your body. Food portions and food choices are important. Carbohydrates, fat and protein need to be balanced to ensure blood sugar levels stay as stable as possible. (This is particularly important for people with Type 1 diabetes.)
The keys to a healthy eating plan are:
Eat meals and snacks regularly (at planned times).
Eat about the same amount of food at each meal or snack.
Choose healthful foods to support a healthy weight and heart.
Put Together a Plan
You need a registered dietitian nutritionist on your team who will work with you to put together an individualized eating plan that takes into account your food preferences, level of physical activity and lifestyle.
Your RDN will work with you and your physician to strike the right balance between your eating plan and any diabetes medications you take.
Plan Healthy Meals
Good health depends on eating a variety of foods that contain the right amounts of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats, as well as vitamins, minerals, fiber and water. If you have diabetes, a healthy daily eating plan includes:
Starchy foods including breads, cereals, pasta, rice, other whole grains and starchy vegetables such as beans, corn and peas
Non-starchy vegetables including carrots, green beans and broccoli
Fruits
Lean meat, fish, poultry, low-fat cheese and tofu
Continue reading

Managing Your Blood Glucose Ups and Downs

High blood glucose is the defining characteristic of diabetes: It’s what leads to a diagnosis of diabetes, and it’s what can lead to long-term diabetes complications if sustained over time. Consequently, the medicines prescribed to treat diabetes lower blood glucose in one way or another. Exercise, too, usually lowers blood glucose, which is one of the reasons it’s an important part of a diabetes treatment regimen. But too-low blood glucose, or hypoglycemia, is no good, either, since it can cause you to lose consciousness.
“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.” — Abraham Lincoln
Food raises blood glucose level, and certain other things can, too, such as illness and other forms of physical or mental stress. The challenge of managing diabetes, therefore, is to balance all of the things that can raise blood glucose (including the diabetes itself) with those that can lower it, so that your blood glucose level stays within a fairly narrow range. Staying in this range will not only help to prevent complications, but it will enable you to feel your best, both mentally and physically.
So what is that range, and how do you stay there?
Recommendations for blood glucose targets
Both the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American College of Endocrinology (ACE) have published recommendations regarding target blood glucose ranges. The ADA recommends aiming for a blood glucose level between 70 and 130 mg/dl before meals and a level lower than 180 mg/dl two hours after the start of meals. The ACE recommends a goal o Continue reading