Scott Hanselman, a current diabetic, compares the disease known as diabetes to trying to fly a plane.
When you consume food your blood sugar (the “altitude”) increases and your body then releases the hormone insulin in order to help lower your blood sugar to safe levels.
For those who do not have diabetes, your pancreas (autopilot) is functioning properly therefore you don’t have to worry about your altitude changing. However, this is not the case for diabetics. The inability to successfully use and produce insulin makes maintaining the right altitude difficult. Staying at a high altitude (high blood sugar) or a low altitude (low blood sugar) can cause serious medical issues.
First and foremost, diabetes is a disease that results in too much sugar in the blood and not being able to produce or use the hormone insulin. In the United States there are approximately 30 million individuals who suffer from diabetes and 95 percent of those individuals suffer from type 2 diabetes. When discussing diabetes it is important to understand the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes (also known as juvenile diabetes) is an autoimmune disorder in which your body produces little to no insulin and it is believed to be genetically based. Unlike type 1 diabetes, which is chronic (meaning it has persisted for a long time) type 2 diabetes is developed over a period of time. Often referred to as adult-onset or non-insulin dependent diabetes, in type 2 the body becomes “insulin resistant” meaning that it does not properly use the insulin that is being produced naturally in the body.
By having diabetes this can lead to a series of many different medical issues. Issues associated with diabetes include problems with heart/blood vessel, eyes, kidneys, nerves, gastrointestinal tract and gums/teeth. Overall, both forms of diabetes are equally serious, but only type 2 is preventable.
In order to prevent this disease, it is crucial to understand what causes it. Like most disease there is a genetic component, meaning that if one has a family history of this disorder then he/she is more likely to develop it. While this is an unavoidable factor for some individuals it does not mean that all hope is lost. There are three avoidable causes that can lead to type 2 diabetes.
The first of these is lack of exercise. Exercise allows muscles to use the sugar that is in your blood stream rather than having to solely rely on insulin to absorb it. This can help the body become less reliant on insulin.
The second avoidable cause is eating an unhealthy diet that consists of a lot of high fat foods. High fat foods include red meat (beef, pork, lamb), processed red meat (bacon, hot dogs, deli meats) and other foods high in trans fats can lead to insulin resistance. Instead, try substituting these items with foods high in mono/polyunsaturated fats (olive oil, fish oils, avocados, etc.), whole fruits/vegetables (not juices) and high quality proteins (eggs, beans, organic chicken, etc.).
The third and final contributor to type 2 diabetes is being overweight/obese. Being overweight leads to changes in the body’s metabolism. These changes cause fat cells releasing fat molecules which in turn can interfere with the insulin responsive cells. The released fat molecules hinder insulins role in the body leading to insulin sensitivity.
The current number of adults living with diabetes in Montgomery County is approximately 9.6 percent which is higher than the U.S. median. As stated previously for those who have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes this is unavoidable, but for the rest of the population type 2 diabetes can be preventable.
Not everyone needs to make a major change in their lifestyle, but by being more aware of how this disease works and manners in which to prevent it can we hopefully begin to lower the number of cases. Being mindful of what you are consuming, going on a walk/run a few times a week, or even just making sure you are getting proper amounts of sleep can all help reduce chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Take what Hanselman said to heart and try not to crash the plane that is your body, and remember, #WellnessBeginsWithME!
Ben Geier, Wabash College ’18, is serving as an intern with the Montgomery County Health Department.
