A healthy diet plus exercise can curb your diabetes risk

  • Published
  • By Air Force Staff Sgt. Wes Wright
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  November is diabetes awareness month.

With this time of year ushering in a season of sugary goodness and perhaps not-so-healthy diets, health professionals on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson are encouraging people to make smart decisions.

According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 30 million children and adults in the United States have the disease, the number seven leading cause of death in the U.S.

Another 86 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

"Diabetes awareness month is focused on raising awareness of diabetes to prevent or delay the onset of, or complications associated with, this ever-growing disease," said Air Force Capt. Jessica Roberts, 673d Medical Group Health Manager.

The Center for Disease Control defines diabetes as a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal.

"Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy," CDC officials said. "The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn't make enough insulin or can't use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood."

Diabetes complications can include heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and lower-extremity amputations.

There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2.

Type 1 diabetes usually occurs before a person reaches the age of 30. However, it can be diagnosed at any age.

Only 5 to 10 percent of those diagnosed with diabetes have this type. With type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces little to no insulin.

Type 2 diabetes has been reported among U.S. children and adolescents with increasing frequency over the past 20 years.

Ninety percent of those with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. And approximately 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight.

With type 2 diabetes, the body either resists the effects of insulin or doesn't produce enough insulin to maintain a normal blood sugar level.

Prediabetes is what health professionals consider to be "on the path to diabetes," where blood sugar level is higher than it should be, but not quite yet in the diabetes range.

"You will not develop type 2 diabetes automatically if you have prediabetes," Roberts said.

"For some people with prediabetes, early treatment can actually return blood glucose levels to the normal range. Research shows that you can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes by 58 percent by losing just seven percent of your body weight and exercising moderately 30 minutes a day, five days a week."

Roberts emphasized the importance of being health-conscious during the holidays.

"From Thanksgiving to New Year's Day, the holidays can be a time to rejoice and celebrate with friends and family," the health manager said. "They can also be exhausting and stressful. Challenges of the season include high-fat, carb-loaded food, parties with alcohol, tempting deserts and a schedule that keeps you too busy to fit in your routine fitness activities. This is even harder if you have diabetes and need to keep your blood sugar levels under control." 

A monthly diabetes class is offered and recommended to all prediabetics, new diabetics, and anyone struggling with diabetes management.

This class is offered the first Thursday of every month from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Tricare Conference Room.

Scheduling is done through the primary care manager.

The JBER hospital also offers a nutrition therapy consultation - an opportunity to meet with a registered dietician for individual nutritional guidance - and behavioral health services for those struggling with the emotions associated with the diagnosis.

A health-management nurse is assigned to those individuals struggling to keep their blood sugars in a safe range. The health manager's role is to assist the patient reach their management goals.

"Diabetes is an overwhelming diagnosis and brings many questions with it," Roberts said. "It is important for those with diabetes to understand that this diagnosis is very manageable.

"With routine screening by your provider, increased activity, monitoring nutritional intake, and stress management, it is possible to live a long, healthy life with diabetes."