Type 2 diabetes explained

June 2020

WORDS: Bryan Walpole AM

In Australia, more than 1.1 million people currently have type 2 diabetes, and there may be a similar number with the condition that has not yet been tested. It is an epidemic, with appalling outcomes, fuelled by obesity and sedentary lifestyle. Often the seeds are sown in childhood.

A host of potential complications associated with the disease discussed below mean when diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you will live on average six years less than someone without it.

Type 2 diabetes, which typically develops after the age of 45, is caused by a combination of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin, and the cells in the body failing to respond correctly.

Risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes include being overweight, physically inactive, having a poor diet lacking in fibre with excess calories (think take away meals and unhealthy snacks), high blood pressure and a family history of type 2 diabetes.

People with type 2 diabetes are up to eight times more likely to develop heart failure or have a heart attack, which is why cholesterol and blood pressure control is so important to prevent them.

Diabetes unchecked is also the most common cause of kidney failure and vision loss and accounts for more than 50% of foot and leg amputations that can leave you in a wheelchair, blind and on dialysis.

Ouch! And there is more.

Strokes are more common, and men with type 2 diabetes are approximately twice as likely to develop pancreatic bowel and liver cancer. Further, dementia, too, is a recently recognised complication of type 2 diabetes.

You might ask why it is so dangerous?

Cancer cells use glucose to grow, so the more glucose in the blood, the more rapidly cancer will grow. It also damages blood vessels, killing off the vital organs blood flow. A recent study showed about a quarter of patients with type 2 diabetes met the targets for healthy glucose cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Some patients soon discontinue cholesterol medication as there are side effects, and no obvious immediate benefits to feel until it is too late.

So regular monitoring for complications with your GP, and home glucose and BP testing is essential in diabetes management.

Offering plenty to think about; first and foremost, taking positive steps to prevent it in the first place, and secondly, keeping things under control later. A wholesome diet and regular physical activity are an excellent start for us all. As I have written before, a healthy, sustainable eating plan is a very good idea, especially if you find yourself going at the cooking alone now and would benefit from some new meal ideas or recipes. One of my favourites is the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, but see what suits you and remember, it's a lifestyle change, not a fad as in the women's magazines, "lose 20 KG in a month on a grapefruit diet", and get walking with a partner, a friend; man's or otherwise, twice daily for a start – today.

References for this article have been taken from - A disease that breeds disease: why is type 2 diabetes .... https://theconversation.com/a-disease-that-breeds-disease-why-is-type-2-diabetes-linked-to-increased-risk-of-cancer-and-dementia-139298