Type 2 diabetes:
• accounts for about 85 per cent of all cases of diabetes, usually developing in adults over the age of 40. About 80 per cent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight, while a family history of the disease also increases an individual’s chance of contracting it. Rates in our indigenous population are seven to eight times higher than in other segments of society.
• is a metabolic disorder characterised by high blood glucose levels that can lead to a range of complications including kidney and blood vessel disease. Insulin is a hormone produced in the body by an organ called the pancreas. It is released into the blood and allows glucose to move into the cells. In type 2 diabetes the body's cells don’t use the insulin effectively, causing blood glucose levels to rise.
• was previously thought to develop when a person was middle aged or elderly, but with childhood overweight and obesity at record levels, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents is rising.
Pre-diabetes – what is it?
• Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have "pre-diabetes" – a condition where blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
• Diabetes Australia says that more than 2 million Australians have pre-diabetes.
• Some long-term damage to the body, especially the heart and circulatory system, may already be occurring during pre-diabetes.
• If left unmanaged, pre-diabetes may develop into type 2 diabetes within five to 10 years.
Solutions
• Type 2 diabetes is strongly influenced by lifestyle, particularly the food you eat and the level of physical activity you regularly participate in.
• Many people don’t realise that obesity, pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes are largely preventable diseases. If you take action to manage your blood glucose when you have pre-diabetes, you can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes from developing.
• Early lifestyle changes have the greatest success but everyone at risk for diabetes can benefit from these programs. For example, weight loss through lifestyle modification has been shown effective in preventing type 2 diabetes in adults.
• Relatively small increases in physical activity, modest changes in diet, and small decreases in weight can significantly reduce risk factors for diabetes. For example, losing as little as five to seven per cent of body weight, in combination with exercise and dietary modifications, can reduce the incidence of diabetes by up to 60 per cent in high-risk individuals.
For information on the role exercise can play in diabetes prevention, read Actively Avoid Diabetes.
Reference:
Case PE, Manore MM, Thompson JL (2006) Stemming the tide: Are you prepared for the diabetes epidemic? Health & Fitness Journal 10: 7-13.
Related reading:
Actively Avoid Diabetes
Disease Risk for Unfit Teens
Warning on Early Weight Problems
Exercise Assists Diabetes Management
Start Disease Prevention Early
