Making healthy food choices can lower your risk of developing diabetes or its complications. Learn about the diet and diabetes connection.
For most people who
don’t feel well, a visit to the doctor can diagnose and fix the problem.
Simple, right?
But some diseases can
be silent predators, offering few or no warning signs to alert you early on
that help is needed. One such disease is diabetes.
Not only does diabetes
affect almost 24 million people in the United States, but 25 percent don’t even
know they have it.
What Is Diabetes?
As food is digested,
it is broken down into glucose (also known as sugar), which provides energy and
powers our cells. Insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas, moves the glucose
from the blood to the cells. However, if there is not enough insulin or the
insulin isn’t working properly, then the glucose stays in the blood and causes
blood sugar levels to rise.
There are three main
types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 results
from the pancreas no longer being able to make insulin and is usually found in
children, teens, and young adults. Gestational diabetes can occur near the end
of a woman’s pregnancy and usually disappears after the baby’s birth.
The most common form
of diabetes is type 2. Risk factors include being overweight; not getting
enough physical activity; having a parent or sibling with diabetes; being
African-American, Asian-American, Latino, Native American, or Pacific Islander;
being a woman who had gestational diabetes or gave birth to a baby who weighed
more than nine pounds; having high blood pressure, having low HDL (good
cholesterol) or high triglycerides; and having pre-diabetes.
Diabetes: Why Is It
Dangerous?
“When poorly
controlled diabetes causes blood glucose levels that are too high or too low,
you may not feel well,” explains Claudia L. Morrison, RD, outpatient diabetes
program coordinator at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. “Diabetes
that is poorly controlled over time can lead to complications that affect the
body from head to toe.” Issues can occur with everything from one’s eyes,
kidneys, and nerves to reproductive organs, blood vessels, and gums. But the
most serious problems are heart disease and risk of stroke.
Diabetes: What Role
Does Diet Play?
“Food can either
promote diabetes or help prevent it, depending on how it affects the body’s
ability to process glucose,” says Elizabeth Ricanati, MD, medical director of
the Cleveland Clinic’s Lifestyle 180 Program in Cleveland. “People should avoid
foods that increase blood sugar and those that raise cholesterol, such as
processed foods, foods high in saturated fats or with trans fats, and foods
with added sugars and syrups.”
Processed foods as
well as items high in fat or sugar not only can disrupt the balance between
glucose and insulin, resulting in inflammation, but can also contribute to risk
factors such as being overweight.
Carbs, too, need to be
watched. While they are necessary to fuel the body, some carbohydrates raise
blood glucose levels more than others. “The glycemic index(GI) measures how a carbohydrate-containing food
raises blood glucose,” says Morrison. “Foods are ranked based on how they
compare to a reference food such as white bread. Dry beans and legumes, all
non-starchy vegetables, and many whole-grain breads and cereals all have a low
GI.”
Diabetes: What Is a
Healthy Diet?
A healthy diet for diabetes is virtually the same as a
healthy diet for anyone. Eat reasonably sized portions to avoid gaining weight,
and include fruits and vegetables (limit juice to no more than eight
ounces a day); whole grains rather than processed ones; fish and lean cuts of
meat; beans and legumes; and liquid oils. Limit saturated fats and high-calorie
snacks and desserts like chips, cake, and ice cream, and stay away from trans
fats altogether.
Thirty minutes of exercise most days of the week and losing 5 to 10 percent
of body weight, if a person is overweight, are also crucial in reducing the
risk of type 2 diabetes.
Finally, anyone
experiencing frequent urination, extreme thirst or hunger, unexplained weight
loss, fatigue, blurry vision, or frequent infections should see a doctor for a
blood test to check for diabetes. With careful attention and healthy lifestyle
choices, diabetes can be kept under control.