Could You Have Diabetes and Not Know It?

Many people dealing with diabetes admit that the disease sneaked up on them. They didn’t see it coming.

These men and women didn’t suddenly lose weight or become excessively hungry and thirsty (as those with type 1 diabetes often experience), nor did they feel sick in any way. In fact, there are few truly recognizable type 2 diabetes symptoms. The disease is usually discovered during a routine blood test when a high fasting blood glucose reading, usually in the 150 to 300 mg/dL range, is noted.

There are, however, a few common type 2 diabetes signs and symptoms:

• The vast majority of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight, with the distribution of weight most commonly in the abdominal area. Excess weight is a known factor in insulin resistance. In fact, the link between diabetes and obesity is so strong that it’s led to the coining of a new term, diabesity.
• Most people with type 2 diabetes are inactive. Exercise enhances insulin sensitivity and reduces the risk of developing diabetes.
• Worldwide, the greatest increase in the number of people living with diabetes appears in those over the age of 65. Beginning in our forties, our lifestyle indiscretions are no longer protected by the resilience of youth. Things like an unhealthy diet, extra pounds, and lack of exercise suddenly turn into diabetes risk factors and begin take their toll.

The good news is that in type 2 diabetes the body only becomes “insensitive” or “resistant” to insulin, and people diagnosed with this disease often can boost their insulin sensitivity and reverse their condition. Type 2 diabetes is preventable, and is primarily a result of poor lifestyle choices. The trick is to eat healthy, get plenty of exercise, and get your fasting blood glucose tested regularly so you catch the disease in its beginning stages.

Now it’s your turn: Do you have your blood sugar tested regularly?

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