SENIOR MOMENTS / Diabetes; Taking Charge of Your Health!

Volume 1, Number 6

By Dean Walters

Senior Moments is dedicated to the issues we all face as we progress through our years.

The great thing is that you’ve reached the stage in your life when you can spend more time with friends and family doing the things you enjoy. The not so great thing is that you’ve noticed that more and more of your friends (and maybe you) are dealing with diabetes. Fortunately, there are actions you can take to significantly lower your risk of developing Type-2 Diabetes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that diabetes affects nearly 26 million Americans, including children, adolescents and adults. That number has been increasing in recent years mainly due to the rising rate of obesity among Americans. That extra weight, combined with a much more sedentary lifestyle can drastically increase the risk of developing Type-2 Diabetes. What’s more, the risk also increases with age. Almost 1 in 5 Americans age 65 and older has the disease.

But don’t despair. It is estimated that 90% of Type-2 Diabetes is preventable with diet and lifestyle changes – NINETY PERCENT! And YOU have the control. By mapping out a plan that includes achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, a healthy diet and physical activity, you can help manage or even prevent the disease.

So, what exactly is diabetes? The simple answer is that diabetes is actually a group of diseases that affect the way your body uses blood sugar (glucose). Type-2 Diabetes is the most common form which affects 90-95% of diabetics. It basically means that your pancreas makes insulin to ‘level out’ your blood sugar, but your cells have become resistant to it. When that happens, the glucose in your bloodstream is unable to enter your cells, which results in a potentially dangerous buildup of glucose in your bloodstream.

Most diabetic symptoms result from this buildup of glucose, and tend to develop slowly over a long period of time. The most common symptoms are excessive thirst and a frequent need to urinate, weight gain or loss, increased hunger, fatigue, blurred vision, slow-healing sores or frequent infections, and tingling feet and hands. Over time, if left untreated, these symptoms can lead to serious complications such as heart and blood vessel disease, stroke, nerve damage, eye damage, kidney damage, and even foot problems from nerve damage and poor blood flow to the extremities.

Time for action. You can’t change your age as a risk factor for diabetes, but most of other risk factors you CAN do something about. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight (healthy eating with frequent exercise including both aerobic and strengthening exercises) can significantly reduce your risk. Even moderate weight loss can help. In fact, a major study known as the Diabetes Prevention Program, showed that participants age 60 and older reduced the risk of their pre-diabetes progressing to diabetes by 71% just by reducing their body weight 5-7%, eating a healthy diet, and increasing their physical activity.

While changing your eating and exercise habits to lose weight may seem daunting, it’s well worth the effort, and it’s never too late to start. Research has shown that older adults seeking to prevent diabetes have better success in achieving exercise and weight-loss goals that do their younger counterparts!

So, eat like you know you should, get off your butt and start increasing your physical activity, and help yourself to a longer and healthier life.

Dean Walters is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, a Certified Personal Trainer with specialties in Senior Fitness and Fitness Nutrition, and the owner of Well-Tech Nutrition. 305-849-1474.

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