Tip to Low Your Risk for Diabetes, from Intermountain Health

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Melissa Baugh is a Registered Dietician at Intermountain Sanpete Valley Hospital, and says diabetes risk can be prevented or at least delayed.

Diabetes is a life-long disease that affects how your body moves sugar into the cells for energy. With diabetes, your body does not produce insulin well and can’t keep blood sugar at normal levels. More than 136 million Americans are living with diabetes (38.4 million) or prediabetes (97.6 million). Hispanic/Latino Americans, African Americans, American Indians, and Alaska Natives as well as some Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans are at higher risk. Diabetes can lead to kidney failure, heart disease, stroke, vision loss, amputations, and other health problems.

“When you eat food that has carbohydrates or sugar, your body uses that to make glucose and provides energy,” explained Melissa Baugh, Registered Dietitian, from Intermountain Health’s Sanpete Valley Hospital . “The glucose is in your blood (blood sugar) and gets taken to your cells. If you have diabetes, the glucose doesn’t get into your cells very well. So there’s all this glucose hanging out in your blood and causes problems.”

There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (diabetes when pregnant). Type 1 and gestational are often hereditary, but there is a growing trend in type 2 diabetes, which can be prevented.

Type 2 diabetes usually happens in adults, however it is becoming more frequent among younger individuals. “In Type 2 diabetes, the body makes insulin, but in varying levels–it’s trying to deal with the cells not using the glucose well but also may be not able to make enough insulin,” Baugh said.

Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have high blood glucose levels but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. If untreated, patients have a 50% risk of progressing into needing full diabetes management in approximately 5 years.

“You can totally help your body in decreasing Type 2 diabetes risk!” stated Baugh. “You can either entirely prevent it or delay for a long time.”

Prevention includes making changes in your lifestyle, such as more physical activity and improving dietary intake in support of weight loss. Baugh suggests these tips:

Activity: Park father than you need to and a walk a bit more. Walk to your neighbor’s house or the post office instead of … Read More