Diabetes Mellitus 2

Did you know that Diabetes Mellitus 2 (often referred to as type 2 diabetes, adult onset diabetes or sugar diabetes) is Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease?

Almost 1,500 people are diagnosed every week.

That’s 214 people every day!

And for every person who knows they have it, another has the disease but doesn’t know it.

That’s a little scary and Diabetes Australia expects the number of people with Diabetes Mellitus 2 to reach 1.8 million by 2010.

In the US in 2009 the American Diabetes Association reported that there are 23.6 million children and adults in the United States who have diabetes.

That’s 7.8% of the population.

While an estimated 17.9 million in the US alone have been diagnosed with diabetes, nearly one in four (that’s 5.7 million) diabetics are unaware that they have the disease.

So What is Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which the body either doesn't make enough insulin or can't use its own insulin as well as it should, or both. This causes sugar to accumulate in the blood, often leading to various complications.

Type 2 diabetes may go unnoticed for years because visible symptoms are typically mild, non-existent or sporadic.

Diabetes type 2 symptoms or warning signs may include:

• Excessive thirst
• Frequent urination
• feeling tired and lethargic
• slow healing wounds<
• itching and skin infections
• blurred vision
• mood swings

Causes of Type 2 Diabetes

There are a number of theories as to the exact cause of Diabetes Mellitus 2 or type 2 diabetes. Obesity and particularly fat concentrated around the waist, is known to be a precursor.

Carrying more body fat (especially around the abdominal organs) makes insulin less efficient at controlling blood glucose levels. This is often referred to as insulin resistance.

Obesity is found in approximately 55% of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Other factors include aging and family history (diabetes mellitus 2 is much more common in those with close relatives who have had it).

Although Diabetes Mellitus 2 has primarily affected older people, in the last decade it has increasingly begun to affect children and adolescents.

There is also a correlation between the concentration in urine of bisphenol A (a constituent of polycarbonate plastic) and the incidence of diabetes mellitus 2.

Risk Factors of Diabetes Mellitus 2

So who is at risk of developing type 2 diabetes?

• Over 55 years of age
• Over 45 years of age and have an immediate family member with type 2 diabetes
• Over 45 years of age and have high blood pressure
• Over 45 years of age and overweight
• Over 35 years of age and from an Aboriginal, Torres Straight Islander, Pacific Island, Indian sub-continent or Chinese cultural background
• Have impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose intolerance (ITG)
• Have heart disease or have had a heart attack
• Have had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)
• Have polycystic ovarian syndrome and are overweight

Lifestyle factors also increase the risk of developing diabetes mellitus 2 and may include:

• Obesity or being overweight, especially around the waist.
• Not enough physical activity.
• Unhealthy eating habits and a diet high in fat, sugar and salt
• Insufficient foods high in fibre.
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol
• Cigarette smoking

Source: Diabetes WA

If you have one or more of the above risk factors, perhaps it’s time you consulted your GP for a check up and blood glucose test.

Reversing Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is usually first treated by increasing physical activity, decreasing carbohydrate intake, and losing weight.

These can restore insulin sensitivity even when the weight loss is modest, for example around 5 kg (10 to 15 lb), especially when it is in abdominal fat deposits.

It is sometimes possible to achieve long-term, satisfactory glucose control with these measures alone. However, the underlying tendency to insulin resistance is not lost, so attention to diet, exercise, and weight loss must continue.

In other words a healthy lifestyle has to become part of your life on a daily basis, not just something you do spasmodically.

Information on Type 2 Diabetes

For more information on type 2 diabetes in Australia, go to the Diabetes Australia website or, if you’re in the US, try the American Diabetes Association website.