Dear Dr. Peg,
It seems like a lot of people have diabetes now. Some of my friends even have insulin pumps. If I stop eating sugar, can I prevent getting diabetes?
Dear Sugar-free,
You're right. A lot of people have diabetes now, more and more every year. It is a huge health problem and a major cause of disability and death. It's getting worse every year in this country.
Why? Because we are fat and lazy. In fact, we're twice as fat as we were 20 years ago, as there are twice as many obese people. We eat too much and don't move enough. We sit long hours at our desks, televisions and computers on our increasingly large behinds. We eat fast food and drive everywhere. You don't even have to get out of your car these days to eat, withdraw money, get married or get a flu shot. Obesity and inactivity are major causes of diabetes.
Diabetes is a condition in which your body can't handle sugar properly, causing it to build up in the blood. Long-term, it damages pretty much your whole body. Blindness, heart attacks, amputations, kidney failure - these are just a few of the results of this terrible disease.
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Seventeen million people in this country have diabetes now, and more than 90 percent of those have Type 2 diabetes. This is the type that was once called "adult onset" but is now found in teens and even children.
Type 2 diabetes begins with pre-diabetes or insulin resistance. This is a condition in which your muscle, fat and liver cells can't use insulin properly. Insulin is a chemical produced by the pancreas, an organ just behind your stomach. Insulin hooks onto glucose in your blood and shuttles it into your cells where it can be stored or used for energy.
In pre-diabetes, the level of sugar in the blood builds up because the insulin can't remove it. The pancreas cranks out more insulin in an attempt to catch up, but eventually the pancreas burns out, and the body requires medicine to regulate the blood sugar. That's diabetes.
If diabetes runs in your family, you are more likely to get it, too. But you aren't necessarily doomed. The genetic thing isn't a sure bet at all, one way or the other. Even if there's no diabetes in your family, you could be the first to get it. Either way, you can decrease your risk. It isn't as simple as cutting sugar out of your diet. That might help, but you also need to eat right, lose weight and get active. Simple but not easy. Here are a few tips.
Eat right. Eat less sugar and fat. Less junk. Eat more fiber, especially soluble fiber, such as oats, oatmeal, beans, peas, apples, citrus fruits, carrots and barley. This will help keep your blood sugar down.
Lose weight. Even 10 pounds off will decrease your chances of getting diabetes. Trust me, I know this is easier said than done, but some things are worth the effort, and this is one of them.
Exercise more. If you don't already have an exercise habit, develop one. Start small if you're really out of shape. Walk instead of drive if it's close. Get a pedometer. Take an exercise class or join a gym.
None of this is new advice, I'm sure. Again, I realize it isn't easy. The good news is you don't have to do it alone. We have free one-on-one counseling at the Student Health Center in the form of peer consultants. Call 277-3136, and get an appointment for nutrition or fitness consultation. They also work with smoking cessation, stress and time management, by the way. And did I mention it's free?
Peggy Spencer has been a UNM student-health physician for 16 years. E-mail your questions to her at Pspencer@unm.edu. All questions will be considered, and all questioners will remain anonymous. This column has general health information only and cannot replace a visit to a health care provider.
