Diabetes Awareness - Understand and Protect Your Health

3 hours ago

2 min read

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, making it a great time to learn more about diabetes, understand your risk and take steps to protect your health.

Diabetes affects how your body processes blood sugar (glucose), which is an important source of energy for your cells. When blood sugar levels remain too high over time, they can damage blood vessels and nerves and increase the risk of complications involving the heart, kidneys, eyes and feet.

There are two primary types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes: An autoimmune condition in which the body produces little or no insulin. It is not caused by lifestyle choices.
Type 2 diabetes: The most common form. The body doesn't use insulin effectively or doesn't produce enough to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Genetics, age, lifestyle and other factors can contribute to risk.

Could you be at risk?

Some risk factors for Type 2 diabetes include:

A family history of diabetes.
Being overweight or having excess abdominal weight.
Limited physical activity.
A history of gestational diabetes.
High blood pressure or abnormal cholesterol levels.
Being age 35 or older.

One of the challenges with Type 2 diabetes is that symptoms may develop gradually, and some people have no noticeable symptoms at all. A simple blood test can provide important answers.

Two commonly used tests help evaluate blood sugar:

Fasting Blood Glucose: Measures blood sugar after not eating for at least eight hours.
Hemoglobin A1C: Provides an estimate of your average blood sugar over approximately the past three months.

An A1C can help identify normal blood sugar levels, prediabetes or diabetes. An A1C of 5.7% to 6.4% generally indicates prediabetes, while 6.5% or higher is in the diabetes range. A diagnosis usually requires confirmation with repeat testing or another diagnostic test.

The good news is that identifying prediabetes early gives you an opportunity to make changes that can help prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes. Nutrition, physical activity, sleep and other lifestyle factors all play a role.

Here in the mountains, we know that staying active is part of our lifestyle. But even small, consistent changes can make a meaningful difference.

Knowing your numbers is an important first step toward protecting your health! Talk with us about whether screening is appropriate for you.