Diabetes is taking a toll on our nation. More than 37 million Americans suffer from the life-threatening disease. With diabetes, the body can no longer make enough insulin or use the insulin it does make to control blood sugar. Diabetes is taking a serious toll on our nation. More than 37 million Americans suffer from the life-threatening disease. With diabetes, the body can no longer make enough insulin or use the insulin it does make to control blood sugar (blood glucose). The majority of diabetics (about 95 percent) have Type 2 diabetes. With Type 2, the body makes insulin, but doesn\u2019t respond to insulin the way it should. The other five percent have Type 1 diabetes, which keeps their bodies from making insulin. About one in five people don\u2019t even know they have diabetes.<\/p>\n
The Dangers of Diabetes Know These Warning Signs Simple blood tests can offer answers. For a fasting blood sugar test, a sample of blood is drawn the morning after an overnight fast to measure the body\u2019s blood sugar level.<\/p>\n More often, blood is drawn for a hemoglobin A1C test. The test is repeated once a month for three months to measure the body\u2019s blood sugar level. Once you have diabetes, even if you get it under control with insulin or medication, you still have to deal with its long-term effects on your organs. You will always be considered diabetic, even if you don\u2019t require medication.<\/p>\n A Chance to Turn Things Around<\/strong><\/p>\n Insulin resistance presents a small window for a course correction. By making some healthy changes, people who are insulin resistant can return their blood glucose levels to normal ranges and prevent insulin resistance from becoming Type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n Lose the extra pounds<\/strong>. While weight loss can seem daunting, every pound you lose can improve your health. Studies show that even a modest weight loss of just seven to 10 percent of your body weight\u2014combined with regular exercise\u2014can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by nearly 60 percent.<\/p>\n Get moving and keep moving<\/strong>. There are so many good reasons to exercise. Besides helping you maintain a healthy weight, physical activity lowers your blood sugar and boosts your sensitivity to insulin, which helps keep your blood sugar within a normal range.<\/p>\n Eat good food<\/strong>. In a time when frozen foods and fast food make it far too easy to choose convenience over nutrition, we\u2019ve moved away from what our bodies really want and need\u2014fresh, healthy foods that aren\u2019t loaded with hidden sugars and fats.<\/p>\n Talk with your doctor<\/strong>. Be proactive and schedule your annual physical exam. Ask your doctor if you should be screened for diabetes and discuss steps you can take to prevent it.<\/p>\n Learn about Livongo<\/strong>. Livongo is a program specifically for those diagnosed with Type I or Type II diabetes or hypertension. You will be contacted by Livongo if you are determined to be eligible for the program. This program is available to all employees, retirees, and their covered dependents enrolled in the A&M Care, 65 Plus and J plans, with a diagnosis of Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes or hypertension. Graduate student employees enrolled in the Grad Plan are not eligible for this program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Diabetes is taking a toll on our nation. More than 37 million Americans suffer from the life-threatening disease. With diabetes, the body can no longer make enough insulin or use the insulin it does make to control blood sugar. Diabetes is taking a serious toll on our nation. More than 37 million Americans suffer from…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1971,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diabetes-management"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":69,"label":"Diabetes Management"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"Estela Felan","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/business\/author\/efeagin\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":69,"name":"Diabetes Management","slug":"diabetes-management","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":74,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":69,"category_count":1,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Diabetes Management","category_nicename":"diabetes-management","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1971"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38187\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/strong>Some of us may have an \u201cignorance is bliss\u201d attitude when it comes to our health. But ignoring your risk for diabetes is dangerous because it can damage your internal organs. High blood sugar increases inflammation in your arteries. When this happens, your organs don\u2019t get the blood they need to stay healthy and function properly. With diabetes you have a greater risk for stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, blindness and advanced memory loss. Diabetes also makes it difficult for wounds to heal, often allowing gangrene to develop. In some cases, poor circulation can lead to gangrene and even amputation of extremities.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Diabetes doesn\u2019t always give a clear warning. Signs may be mild or go unnoticed. But common symptoms include:<\/p>\n\n
\n
\nNormal \u2013 less than 5.7%
\nPrediabetes (insulin resistance) – 5.7% to 6.4%
\nDiabetes \u2013 6.5% or higher<\/p>\n