Diabetic Prevention
Diabetic Prevention
Dr. Mylan Van Newkirk, with his mother, Jessie Bitner, were in Lewellen last week to encourage people to avoid the serious complications of diabetes through healthy living. Dr. Van Newkirk said that diabetes is one of the major challenges causing blindness he sees with patients in his ophthalmology practice.
The Van Newkirk family is sponsoring a Healthy Habits program in Garden County with the goal of reducing diabetes. Diabetes mellitus has increase from 30 million people worldwide to 250 million people worldwide from 1985 to 2010. This is due to changes in diet and decreasing amounts of physical activity.
People are especially at risk if they collect extra weight around the mid-section. Diabetes causes insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion damaging large vessels as seen in heart attacks and stroke and damaging small blood vessels. High blood sugar kills cells that line the capillaries leading to blindness, kidney failure, amputations, neuropathy and chronic ulcers.
The good news is that people with diabetes or at risk for diabetes can avoid all complications if they can keep their A1C hemoglobin level at less than 7%. Dr. Van Newkirk noted that it really needs to be less than 7%. Even at 8% there is a 35% greater risk of complications.
High blood pressure is also a major contributing factor in damage from diabetes and even is more damaging than high blood sugar. High blood pressure adds to the damage at the capillary level and needs to be at 135/80 or less.
Some ways to reduce risk of diabetes and complications from diabetes are:
- Eat smaller and more frequent meals
- Keep blood pressure down with reduced salt
- Exercise regularly – daily if possible
- Use healthy fats such as vegetable oils, nuts and fish and reduce the amount of animal, hydrogenated and trans fats
- Maintain a reasonable weight – reduce sugars, salt and processed foods
- Eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day
In 1990, no state had over 15% obesity. In 2008, only Colorado had less than 20% obesity and 6 states had 30% or higher obesity rates.