This week I received a thought provoking email from a retired Army NCO who has developed diabetes (type II) since retiring from the service over fifteen years ago. This is not uncommon. Eighteen million Americans have diabetes, but did you know that over 90% of all diabetes cases can either be prevented or significantly delayed? And guess what can help you avoid diabetes? The amazing panacea of exercise and healthy diet is the answer. It seems the many medical studies published concerning American health all come back to an easy and basic fitness plan.
From the National Institute of Health webpage, diabetes is defined in three categories:
Type I diabetes is a very serious and non-preventable condition where the patient needs a daily dose of insulin since the pancreas does not produce it at all or in enough quantities.
Type II diabetes usually occurs in older and/or obese people who do not have to have a family history of diabetes. 80% of type II diabetics are overweight, and as our children are increasingly sharing in America's overweight statistics, juvenile diabetes is growing at alarming rates.
The third type of diabetes is gestational diabetes which occurs in pregnant women.
Of the millions of Americans with diabetes, it is amazing that the preventable form of Type II makes up an overwhelming majority of the cases. This is extremely serious, since diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.A totaling over 70,000 people every year and costing over $132 billion annually in direct and indirect costs. Diabetics should see their doctor several times a year and receive regular eye and feet examinations since blindness and amputations of the lower limbs are common effects of the disease.
Now, that you are more informed on the topic, what can you do to avoid diabetes? The answer is quite simple - Get up, start moving more, and eat less sugary foods, like junk foods. Drink more water and stop drinking sodas and eat more fiber rich foods to help regulate insulin. Eat less from the drive-thru and more from the garden. Check out foods that are low on the Glycemic Index as well. There are many websites on diabetes / glycemic index you can find to help you more specifically. Many of the Stew Smith Archive Articles at www.StewSmith.com can help you with ideas to getting started with fitness if you need help.
