Learning Diabetes Facts Helps You Become A More Effective Educator

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has skyrocketed.   Research has now shown that being overweight contributes to insulin resistance, which is a key factor used to diagnose Type 2 diabetes.  As a physical and/or health educator, you play an important role in sharing a love of physical activity with students.  Promoting physically active lifestyles is the first step we can take to tip these chronic disease statistics in the other direction.

What is Type 2 diabetes?

In a person without diabetes, blood sugar rises normally any time food is eaten.  Sensing the rise of glucose in the body, the pancreas produces insulin to open the doors of the muscle and fat cells so that body can use the glucose for energy. With Type 2 diabetes, three health scenarios are possible that would require treatment – insulin resistance, insulin deficiency or a liver that releases too much glucose.

In the first scenario, the pancreas may still release the proper amount of insulin to help the cells to use the glucose, but the cells have become resistant to the insulin.  Insulin resistance means the cells can’t sense the insulin and, as a result, don’t take in the glucose, leaving high levels of glucose in the bloodstream.  The extra glucose in the blood causes the pancreas to, in turn, produce more insulin.  Over years of this happening, the pancreas may decide that it simply cannot keep up with the constant abnormally high demand for insulin and may slow down or stop producing insulin – causing an insulin deficiency.

The liver works in partnership with the pancreas to manage blood glucose levels by storing extra glucose in a form called glycogen to be used by the body when it needs it at a later time.  For example, at times overnight when a person hasn’t eaten, the liver senses the lack of insulin and responds by releasing stored glucose to keep blood sugar levels from dropping too low. When someone has Type 2 diabetes, the liver may fail to recognize insulin levels and may erroneously produce more glucose than required. 

What are the risk factors for Type 2 diabetes?

Because of its link to overweight and obesity, risk factors for Type 2 diabetes include high-fat/low-fiber diets, sedentary lifestyles, extra weight particularly in the abdominal area, high blood pressure and high cholesterol and triglyceride levels.  Most people develop “pre-diabetes” before they develop and are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. 

“Pre-diabetes” is when blood glucose levels are higher than normal – but not yet high enough to be full-blown diabetes.  With an estimated 41 million people in the U.S., ages 40-74, with “pre-diabetes,” it is more important than ever for individuals at risk for Type 2 diabetes to have their blood sugar checked regularly.  If a doctor determines that someone has “pre-diabetes,” there are healthy lifestyle changes (like eating a healthy diet, increasing physical activity, and quitting smoking) that person can make to avoid having Type 2 diabetes.

What are the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes?

The symptoms of Type 2 diabetes usually appear over a period of time and can include fatigue, excessive thirst and hunger, increased urination, frequent infections, blurry vision and unexplained weight loss despite increased appetite.

Why is it important for people with diabetes to manage their blood glucose levels?

Too much glucose in the blood for a long time can cause diabetes complications. High blood glucose can damage many parts of the body, such as the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves. This can cause many problems, including heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and amputation of the lower limbs.

What is the treatment plan for someone with Type 2 diabetes?

Having diabetes requires a person to make substantial lifestyle changes in order to control blood-sugar levels and ward off diabetes complications.  Giving up old habits for new ones that help control blood sugar can be anything but easy.  One thing is for certain – the more support people with diabetes have to help them manage their disease and subsequent new lifestyle – the better.  Keeping an organized schedule of healthy eating, taking diabetes medication or insulin, getting regular physical activity, and testing blood glucose must all become a way of life.

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) was a major research study which examined the effect of whether either diet and exercise or an oral diabetes drug (Glucophage) could prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in people at high risk.  Study participants in the lifestyle intervention group received intensive counseling on effective diet, exercise, and behavior modification, and, as a result, reduced their risk of developing diabetes by the greatest amount (58 percent).

The DPP’s results prove that a change in lifestyle, including a healthy diet and regular physical activity, can help millions of high-risk people avoid developing type 2 diabetes.  For those already living with diabetes, it is a vital component of a successful diabetes management plan.  This is where physical educators can have the greatest impact in helping both those with diabetes and those at risk to make physical activity a lifelong habit.

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