carmen.shawn.headshot By Carmen Shawn

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month and World Diabetes Day was November 14, 2020.

Diabetes Canada notes that one in three Canadians currently has diabetes or prediabetes (that’s 11 million people!), and that there is a 50% chance that people who are 20 years old today may develop diabetes.

In Canada alone, there are over 3 million people with diabetes, which is about 9% of Canada’s total population. It is estimated that by 2025, 5 million people will have diabetes. These staggering figures underline the importance of being informed on our own diabetes risk and ways to prevent this disease.

With the COVID-19 pandemic still looming, there is increased urgency to bringing awareness of diabetes and its symptoms, because adults living with diabetes are at risk of suffering serious COVID-19 complications and symptoms.

Before we get to the facts, let’s first dispel some common myths about diabetes:

Myth #1: diabetics can’t eat carbohydrates and to avoid diabetes you shouldn’t eat carbs.

Myth #2: type 2 diabetes “isn’t that bad;” in fact, it can lead to serious illness if not managed properly.

Myth #3: type 2 diabetes only affects people who are overweight.

To reiterate: NONE of these are true. Believing in these myths can lead to more or different health issues or put people in jeopardy of not getting checked by their doctor for diabetes. It is important to know the truth to best prevent diabetes or, if you are at risk or have the disease, to consult your doctor, get it diagnosed and under control.

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease, usually emerges during childhood or adolescence, but it can develop in adults. In type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the cells in your pancreas that make insulin. This causes the body to be left without insulin; people with type 1 diabetes may require multiple insulin injections throughout the day or use an insulin pump (this is prescribed by a doctor and is different for everyone).

Research has found that possible causes of type 1 diabetes include genetics (although this accounts for only a small elevation of risk), exposure to viruses, and other environmental factors. There is currently no cure for type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is more common than type 1; a number of factors can cause type 2 diabetes, including obesity, ethnic background, a family history of the disease, and other environmental factors.

If you’re not active and are overweight or obese, you have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, though as mentioned above, other factors can also put you at risk even if you aren’t overweight.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when you don’t have enough insulin being made in the pancreas, and then become insulin resistant due to the body being unable to use the insulin that is being produced. When you become insulin resistant, glucose in your blood is not able to enter cells where it is normally used for energy.

Luckily, there are a number of things that you can do to prevent or manage diabetes.

The following are habits that you can adopt to help you steer clear of or control diabetes, as well as help manage other aspects of health, such as cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and body weight:

  • Exercise and increase your non-exercise activity. Studies are showing that movement like walking, housework, and simply moving more during the day is just as important as structured exercise for managing diabetes. More movement makes you more insulin-sensitive and working your muscles uses blood sugar, which helps stabilize blood sugar levels.
  • Be more aware of the types of carbohydrates you are eating. Keep sugar to a minimum and choose carbohydrates that are high in fibre. Eating too many processed, low fibre, sugary foods can cause blood sugar to spike. Fibre helps slow down carb digestion and sugar absorption. This helps create a more gradual rise in blood sugar levels. The recommended daily intake of fibre is at least 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men.
  • Increase your water intake so you stay hydrated. Besides the obvious health benefits to staying hydrated, drinking plenty of water helps circulate blood sugar to be used as energy. Drinking water instead of sugary beverages helps you avoid excess empty calories and helps reduce sugar intake.
  • Manage your stressors. When we don’t manage the small day-to-day stresses, the stress hormones cortisol and glucagon are chronically raised, which naturally raise blood sugar levels. You can manage stress through more movement, breathing techniques, journaling, cold showers, yoga and/or by taking small breaks throughout the day.
  • Get good quality sleep. We often don’t think much about how much we sleep or the quality of our sleep, but poor sleeping habits have a huge effect on blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. Lack of sleep increases appetite, often making your “go-to” snack sugary carbs, which decrease the release of growth hormones and increase cortisol levels. These factors all increase blood sugar levels.
  • Control portion sizes. Appropriate portion sizes vary depending on a person’s activity levels and body weight, but in general, having a plate that is balanced helps keep blood sugar from spiking. Choose a good-quality protein, vegetables, fibrous carbs and good-quality omega-3 fats. This slows down the digestion of carbs and keeps your blood sugar more stable. Paying attention to appropriate portion sizes can also help maintain a healthy weight.
  • Eat foods rich in magnesium and chromium. High blood sugar levels can also come from a lack of certain nutrients in the diet — magnesium and chromium in particular. Chromium is involved in carbohydrate and fat metabolism and may affect blood sugar levels. You can get chromium from broccoli, dairy products, some whole grains, nuts/seeds, green beans, and turkey. Low levels of magnesium have been linked to sugar cravings, which can lead to eating foods that are high in sugar but low in fibre and essential vitamins. Foods rich in magnesium are spinach, collard greens, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, avocado, beans, and fish.
  • Choose more omega-3 fats and healthy proteins. By eating chromium- and magnesium-rich foods, you will also get more omega 3 fats — a win-win situation! Healthy fats and proteins also help maintain healthy blood sugar levels by slowing down the absorption of carbs. On the other hand, eating too many saturated fats could increase cholesterol levels and increase risk of heart disease —when this is mixed with diabetes, it puts you at even greater risk of developing these conditions much faster.

Knowing the risks and understanding what can cause diabetes keeps you more aware and mindful of the importance of practicing wellness on a daily basis. Many other health issues can also be mitigated by the tips above; moving your body more, choosing high-fibre foods, eating more vegetables and fruits, drinking enough water, sleeping well, and learning to manage stress better are never bad choices! You may already be doing some of these, but if not, add one to two habits per week that are appropriate for you and your life, like eating some of the vegetables suggested and getting more healthy protein in, and you’ll be on your way to a healthier lifestyle before you know it!

Sources:

Diabetes Canada, Assess Your Risk of Developing Diabetes; url: https://www.diabetes.ca/en-CA/type-2-risks/risk-factors—assessments (accessed Nov. 17, 2020).

Diabetes Canada, Basic Meal Planning; url: https://www.diabetes.ca/managing-my-diabetes/tools—resources/basic-meal-planning (accessed Nov. 17, 2020).

Diabetes Canada, Causes of Diabetes: url: https://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/causes-of-diabetes (accessed Nov. 17, 2020).

Diabetes Canada, Diabetes Awareness Month Canada 2020; url: https://www.diabetes.ca/campaigns/diabetes-awareness-month-canada-2020?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=NDAM2020&utm_content=learnmorenow (accessed Nov. 17, 2020).

Diabetes Care Community, Managing Diabetes in Canada; url: https://www.diabetescarecommunity.ca/living-well-with-diabetes-articles/managing-diabetes-canada/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA7qP9BRCLARIsABDaZzimZwgbzlHXEcmQeiaxYQMK6MpJldtZ1TOuQp56j2qwfHPgFYIdD0gaAuVlEALw_wcB (accessed Nov. 17. 2020).