By Liz Ferrell, Development & Community Outreach Specialist
No holiday season embodies the important role food plays in our holiday traditions more than November’s traditional Thanksgiving feast leading into December’s excess. It can seem like five solid weeks of carbohydrates and sweets with an occasional vegetable thrown in.
If you’re living with diabetes or at risk to develop diabetes, it’s important to pace yourself: eat in moderation, drink plenty of fluids, get enough sleep, and try to get in some physical activity during the hustle and bustle. Your body will thank you!
At HOPE Family Health, blood sugar screening is a standard part of an intake exam for any new patient known to be diabetic or pre-diabetic. Once a patient has been diagnosed with diabetes, their provider, a clinical pharmacist and other members of their care team will work together to help the patient learn to successfully manage their diabetes.
What is diabetes?
Put simply, diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. According to the Centers for Disease Control website, in a normally functioning body, the body “breaks down most of the food you eat into sugar (glucose) and releases it into your bloodstream. When your blood sugar goes up, it signals your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin acts like a key to let the blood sugar into your body's cells for use as energy. With diabetes, your body doesn't make enough insulin or can't use it as well as it should.” Over time this scarcity of insulin can lead to serious health complications.
Tennessee’s Diabetes Statistics
The most recent statistics on diabetes in Tennessee come from both the American Diabetes Association and from the Tennessee State Legislature, the Tennessee Diabetes Action Report, released by the Tennessee State Legislature in February 2023.
Types of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes, often called juvenile diabetes, is most commonly diagnosed in children and young adults but can appear at any age. No one knows how to prevent this type of diabetes, which results in permanent insulin dependency.
Type 2 diabetes develops slowly over many years. Although typically diagnosed in adults, it is becoming more common in children, teens and young adults. Type 2 diabetes can be preventable with healthy lifestyle changes, including consistent physical activity and a healthy diet. If you do develop Type 2 diabetes, it can be managed by consistently monitoring your blood sugar, watching your diet and eating habits (including when you eat as well as what you eat), by being physically active, and with medication, as needed.
Gestational diabetes in pregnant women who have never been diagnosed with diabetes typically resolves once the baby is born. But it makes the mother more at risk for Type 2 diabetes later in life and also increases the risk that her baby will one day be obese or develop Type 2 diabetes. Your doctor can help you manage your blood sugar with a healthy diet and, if necessary, medication.
Risk factors
Some factors beyond your control, such as family history, age, race and ethnicity, can play a role in your risk of developing diabetes. But by making changes to your diet and increasing your physical activity, you can control, reduce or even eliminate some risk factors: being overweight or obese, being physically active less than three times a week, and having non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Symptoms
What should you look for if you know you’re at risk? Some symptoms include thirst, a need to urinate frequently, losing weight without trying, being constantly hungry, having blurry vision, tingling or numbness in your hands or feet, fatigue, dry skin, and sores and infections that heal slowly. Type 1 diabetes can also include nausea, vomiting and stomach pain.
Conclusion
It’s the holiday season and a time to enjoy everything that comes with it – family, friends, football, fun times together. But practicing moderation and being active can help ensure you get to enjoy this holiday and many more to come. And that’s something to be thankful for!
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