Diabetes explained

THE MOST common type of diabetes – type 2 – occurs when fat, liver and muscle cells do not respond correctly to insulin. This is known as insulin resistance, and as a result, blood sugar cannot enter these cells where it would be available for energy. Instead, it builds up in the blood.

According to Dr Orlando Thomas, medical doctor and functional medicine practitioner at Thomas Medical and Shockwave Centre in Old Harbour, if you have enough insulin, or it is working properly, the glucose in your blood should be released into your cells to give you energy. If you do not have enough insulin, or the insulin your body produces is not working properly, the glucose in your blood cannot enter your cells and give you energy; and your blood sugar levels keep rising.

“Diabetes is a complicated and devastating condition. Ninety per cent of persons are diabetic and do not know. The blood sugar that you are trying to get down is the last stage of diabetes. This occurs after your body has been trying for years to control it, and is unable to manage it any more, then you are told that you are diabetic,” Dr Thomas said.

Insulin resistance, he said, is more likely if you have too much fat stored in and around your liver and pancreas. It is also linked to living with overweight or obesity, but insulin resistance can affect some people of a healthy weight or BMI.

“The exact cause of insulin resistance is not fully understood and may be different from person to person. How your body makes or uses or responds to insulin can change over time. It can be affected by everything, from hormones during pregnancy or puberty to the type and amount of exercise you do,” Dr Thomas said.

He said if you have diabetes and notice that your blood sugar levels, or HbA1c, are increasing, this may indicate that insulin is not working effectively.

“If you are at risk of type 2 or gestational diabetes, it is important to look out for the signs and symptoms of diabetes, as this may indicate that insulin is not working effectively, and early diagnosis of diabetes is very important to reduce the risk of complications,” he said.

He indicated that there are other things which are common if you have insulin resistance, such as having too much fat in and around the liver and pancreas, having high triglycerides, or cholesterol, and living with overweight or obesity, but this may not be the case for everyone.

Dr Thomas, who was speaking during a ‘Healthy Living Series’, hosted by the Portmore Seventh-day Adventist Church, said our body tries to reduce blood glucose levels by getting rid of the excess glucose in your urine.

Typical symptoms he said, include feeling very thirsty, passing urine more often than usual, particularly at night, feeling very tired, weight loss and loss of muscle bulk,

slow-to-heal cuts or ulcers, frequent vaginal or penile thrush, and blurred vision.

It is very important, he said, for diabetes to be diagnosed as soon as possible, as it will get progressively worse if left untreated.

FACTS ABOUT TYPE 2 DIABETES:

• Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or the body’s cells do not respond to insulin properly. This means that glucose builds up in the blood and cannot be used for energy.

• The root cause of type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance, which happens when cells in the muscles, fat, and liver do not respond to insulin as they should.

SOME FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO INSULIN RESISTANCE INCLUDE:

• Obesity: Being overweight or having an unhealthy waist measurement for your gender or ethnicity.

• Lack of physical activity: Not getting enough exercise.

• Diet: What you eat.

• Hormonal imbalances: Conditions like acromegaly or Cushing syndrome can cause type 2 diabetes.

• Genetics: Certain genes may make you more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

• Medications: Some drugs, like those used to treat organ transplants, can cause or worsen diabetes.

• Other risk factors for type 2 diabetes include: high blood pressure, age, ethnicity, and family history.-

keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com

SOURCE:World Health Organisation