Diabetes: Becoming a statistic

I read an interesting statistic the other day. It stated, “One out of three Americans will be diagnosed with diabetes by 2050.” Okay CDC, so you are saying beta cells are becoming a vestigial organ? Oh, no? You mean type 2 diabetes?! Something that can be controlled by weight management and sugar intake?! You mean something that is completely preventable, unlike type 1 diabetes - which for those who don’t know is a destruction of the beta cells of the pancreas. These cells are what allow the production of insulin.  When these cells are destroyed, a person is unable to produce insulin on their own. On the other hand, type 2 diabetes, also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes, happens when the body makes insulin but the tissues in the body are insensitive to the insulin being produced. In other words, glucose uptake is diminished because the body doesn’t recognize a need for insulin to help regulate the glucose.

What will it look like when 1:3 Americans are diagnosed with diabetes in 2050? Symptoms to look out for are kidney failure, visual changes, slower healing time of wounds, obesity, breathing issues, and [chiropractic alert] muscle fatigue and joint pain, to name a few.

So what can be done? The most important factors are exercise and lifestyle modifications.  The National Institute of Health reported that, in a study of 3,000 overweight participants with pre-diabetes, individuals given lifestyle changes and exercise reduced their risk of developing diabetes by 58%.  Those who took metformin (a pharmaceutical for type 2 diabetes) only reduced their risk by 31%.

There is no evidence that claims lifestyle changes and exercise are a cure for diabetes, but research shows that it helps.  Genes always play a role when it comes to diabetes, but if you do you part to maintain a healthy lifestyle, you can avoid becoming a statistic as 2050 approaches. For more information about diabetes, check out these links below. We look forward to helping stay healthy!   

Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Reduction in the Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes with Lifestyle Intervention or
Metformin. N Engl J Med 2002; 346:393-403 Feb. 7, 2002

Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Long-term effects of lifestyle intervention or metformin on diabetes
development and microvascular complications over 15-year follow up: the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study.
The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 3(11); 866-876, Nov. 2015.

U.S. Preventitive Service Task Force. Guide to Clinical Preventive Services 2nd ed. Baltimore:Williams & Wilkins; 1996:15-38

Souza, T. Differential Diagnosis and Management for the Chiropractor: Protocols and Algorithms.
4th ed. Sudbury:Jones & Bartlett Publishers.2009; 909-94