💉National American Diabetes Association Alert Day

On March 28th, American Diabetes Association Alert Day is a day to actively alarm people about the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in American adults by asking America to take the American Diabetes Association Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test.

The free, anonymous risk test is available online or via a one-sided handout, and only takes a minute to complete. With questions such as "Do you have a family history of diabetes" and "Are you physically active," participants can learn if they’re at risk for type 2 diabetes in 60 seconds. 

👍 Go ahead and take the take the Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test!!!~ 9 out of 10 Americans most at risk for type 2 diabetes don’t know it. Take 60 seconds to find out if you’re one of them. Knowing your risk is the first step toward a healthier life. The Test 

👍 How to lower your risk ~ If you're at risk for type 2 diabetes, speak with your health care team and use these tips to lower your risk.

🎂 Being overweight ~  Maintaining a healthy weight can help you prevent and manage problems like prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol. I know it's not as easy as it sounds but in the end it is worth it. Just sometimes substitute that piece of cake for a fruit or healthy snack.

🥗Healthy Eating ~ Eating healthy is one of the most important things you can do to lower your risk for type 2 diabetes. Get them salads in, eat the good stuff not a whole bunch of take out. Take the chance and make it yourself. You will thank me for it later.

🚴‍♀️ Physical Activity ~Physical activity can do a lot for your health, even if you haven’t been very active lately. You can walk, bike, run, jog, play with your kids, everything works.

Small Steps for Your Health

Making just a few small changes can have make a big impact on your weight and health.

Usually doctors or "experts" shall we say tell us things to do to get and stay at a healthy weight in order to prevent type 2 diabetes. These are choose healthy foods, make healthy meals, be active for at least 30 minutes a day. What we do usually know is how to start this. If you are not a person that normally eat healthy then this is complicated at best. It's not easy to do all of this every day living in today's fast-paced and fast-food world. And it can be even harder if you have a lot of changes you want to make.

Try to make the change one step at a time.... Over months and years. 

The good news is that making just a few small changes can have make a big impact on your weight and health. 

______________________________________________________________________

High Blood Glucose

Managing your blood glucose (sugar) can help you prevent and manage type 2 diabetes.

When you eat, your body breaks food down into glucose (sugar) and sends it into the bloodstream. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps move the glucose from the blood into the cells to be used for energy. Your body usually makes just the right amount of insulin to match the food you eat.

When your body does not use insulin properly, it is called insulin resistance. At first, the beta cells make extra insulin to make up for it. But, over time your pancreas isn't able to keep up and can't make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose at normal levels.

When blood glucose levels are higher than normal it is called high blood glucose (hyperglycemia). If your blood glucose gets too high, you will be diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes.-

______________________________________________________________________

High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure raises your risk for heart disease, stroke, and other problems. Managing blood pressure can help prevent these problems.

______________________________________________________________________

All About Cholesterol
Unhealthy cholesterol levels can raise your risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

______________________________________________________________________

Age, Race, Gender & Family History
There are some things that affect your risk that you can't change. Being aware of them can help you take smart steps to lower your risk.

Many things affect your risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Some of these things, like your weight and how much you exercise, you can change. Other things, like your age or your family history, you can't change. But being aware of them can help you take smart steps to lower your risk.

Things you can't change:
Age
Race
Gender
Family history

______________________________________________________________________

Gestational Diabetes
If you've had gestational diabetes, you’re at higher risk of it in future pregnancies and of type 2 diabetes later in life.

Gestational diabetes (GDM), or diabetes during pregnancy, is when women have diabetes during pregnancy. They've never had diabetes before, and it goes away after pregnancy. But, unfortunately, that's not the end of the story.

Once you've had GDM your chances are 2 in 3 that it will return in future pregnancies. And women who have had GDM are more than 7 times as likely to develop type 2 diabetes as women who didn't have diabetes in pregnancy.

There are many other health conditions that raise your risk, including:
Overweight
High blood glucose
Unhealthy cholesterol
High blood pressure
Smoking
Not getting enough physical activity
Unhealthy eating

______________________________________________________________________

Smoking
Smoking causes a lot of problems in your body and can raise your risk of heart attack or stroke.
Diabetes and Cancer

Type 2 diabetes and certain cancers share many risk factors. Lower your risk for both.

Signing out

Dr. Destiny Basset aka

       Big Sister On Point