Its time to catch up on all trigger factors related to diabetes and take control of our body and lifestyle.
If you have type 2 diabetes, your body can’t use the insulin it makes. This is called insulin resistance. Type 2 usually affects adults, but it can begin at any time in your life. The main things that lead to it are:
Obesity or being overweight. Research shows this is a top reason for type 2 diabetes. The more fatty tissue you have, the more resistant your cells become to insulin. However, you don’t have to be overweight to develop type 2 diabetes.Impaired glucose tolerance can lead to prediabetes, a milder form of diabetes.
Insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps unlock the body’s cells so that sugar (glucose) from the food we eat can be used by the cells for energy. Type 2 diabetes often starts with cells that are resistant to insulin. That means your pancreas has to work extra hard to make enough insulin to meet your body’s needs.
High blood pressure. That means blood pressure over 140/90. High blood pressure(hypertension) can lead to and make worse many complications of diabetes, including diabetic eye disease and kidney disease. Most people with diabetes develop high blood pressure during their life. Low levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol and high levels of triglycerides.
Gestational diabetes. If you had diabetes while you were pregnant, you had gestational diabetes. This raises your chances of getting type 2 diabetes later in life.
Sedentary lifestyle. The less active you are, the greater your risk of type 2 diabetes. Physical activity helps you control your weight, uses up glucose as energy and makes your cells more sensitive to insulin. If you exercise less than three times a week, its time to take action.
Family history. If your mother, father, sister, or brother has heart disease or diabetes, your risk goes up. If you don’t know your family history, ask. Ask your parents, aunts and uncles if anyone in your family has had type 2 diabetes, heart disease or stroke.
Polycystic ovary syndrome. For women, having polycystic ovary syndrome — a common condition characterized by irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth and obesity — increases the risk of diabetes.
Age. As you get older, your risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke goes up. There’s nothing you can do about getting older, but you can take steps to eat healthy, stay active and manage your weight. If you’re over 45 and overweight or if you have symptoms of diabetes, talk to your doctor about a simple screening test.
Lack of sleep may increase the risk for diabetes. The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the University of Colorado Boulder researchers found that a lack of sufficient sleepreduces the body’s sensitivity to insulin, impairing the ability to regulate blood sugar and increasing the risk of diabetes. Lead author Kenneth Wright said that when people get too little sleep, it leaves them awake at a time when their body clock is telling them they should be asleep and when they eat something in the morning, it impairs their ability to regulate their blood sugar levels. Wright noted that if a person eats instead of sleeping during this time, it may alter the way the body responds to the food, impairing insulin sensitivity, he said.
