By Beverleigh H Piepers

According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, as many as 23.6 million Americans are suffering from both direct and indirect complications of Type 2 diabetes. As well as that unbelievable number, around 29.5 percent of American adults have prediabetes. Most people with Type 2 go through a phase of prediabetes, where they have slightly raised blood sugar levels without having full-blown diabetes. Prediabetes is defined as having a fasting blood sugar reading of 100 to 125 mg/dL.

Over a number of years, uncontrolled blood sugar causes serious damage to blood vessels and nerves, leading to complications such as:

* heart disease
* loss of vision
* kidney failure
* amputations, and
* impotence

There is no cure for Type 2 diabetes, although it can certainly be controlled, and the following outcomes avoided:

1. Stroke and complications of the heart: As mentioned by the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, heart disease has been the cause of death in 65 percent of cases in the older age group in the year 2004. Within this age group,16 percent had stroke complications brought about by uncontrolled blood sugar.

It is now known people having prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes are two to three times more likely to suffer complications of the heart and suffer a stroke than people without these conditions. The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse explains uncontrolled blood sugar levels trigger the deposition of fatty deposits in the blood vessel walls causing the development of atherosclerosis, the clogging and hardening of blood vessels. Atherosclerosis, in turn, is the most important independent factor to the development of stroke and heart complications.

2. Blindness: Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness in adults in the United States. In fact, diabetic retinopathy, the complication affecting nerve tissues of the eyes, causes around twelve thousand to fourteen thousand new cases of blindness per year. Chronic uncontrolled blood sugar levels damage the tiny blood vessels in the eyes resulting in the clogging of these tiny blood supply carriers. With this compromised blood supply, deterioration of nerve tissues in the eye guarantees the development of gradual blindness. Seventy-eight percent of people with Type 2 diabetes experience eye disease due primarily to their health condition.

3. Renal failure: Diabetes is the most common cause of renal failure in the United States according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. Both small and large blood vessel complication can lead to kidney problems. High blood pressure and high blood sugar can be a dangerous combination for your kidneys. About 15 percent of people with Type 2 will develop kidney disease, known as renal disease or nephropathy. Diabetes causes 40 percent of all end-stage renal disease or kidney failure. To prevent this health issue becoming a problem, annual laboratory testing in all diabetic patients is essential.

4. Your Feet: Diabetes accounts for approximately half of all non-emergency amputations, but many experts agree doing a foot self-exam every day can prevent most foot complications from becoming severe. Your feet are the targets of both large blood vessel and small blood vessel complications. In the first place, peripheral vascular disease affects blood circulation to your feet. In the second place, the nerve cells in your feet which control sensation, can be altered through complications of the small blood vessels. Nerve damage can also affect your feet's muscles and tendons, causing weakness and changes to the foot's shape.

Preventing complications for Type 2 diabetes revolves around blood sugar control, exercise, and low-fat eating which are the same things that can prevent Type 2 diabetes in the first place.

The treatment of diabetes is highly individualized. It will depend on the type of diabetes, whether you have other active medical problems, as well as your age and general health at time of diagnosis. However, one fact remains constant in treatment: if you have diabetes, you must make healthier lifestyle choices in diet, exercise, and other habits. These will help to improve glycemic (blood sugar) control and prevent or minimize complications of diabetes.

1. Diet: A healthy diet is key to controlling blood sugar levels and preventing diabetes complications.
• If you are obese and have had difficulty losing weight on your own, talk to your health care provider.
• Eat a consistent, well-balanced diet that is high in fibre, low in saturated fat, and low in concentrated sugars.
• A consistent diet that includes roughly the same number of calories at about the same times of day helps your health care provider prescribe the correct dose of medication or insulin.
• It will also help to keep your blood sugar at a relatively even level and avoid excessively low or high blood sugar levels, which can be dangerous and even life threatening.

2. Exercise: Regular exercise, in any form, can help reduce the risk of developing diabetes. Activity can also reduce the risk of developing complications of diabetes such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, and leg ulcers.
• Any exercise is beneficial; no matter how light or how long, some exercise is better than no exercise.
• If you have complications of diabetes (eye, kidney, or nerve problems), you may be limited both in type of exercise and amount of exercise you can safely do without worsening your condition. Consult with your health care provider before starting any exercise program.

3. Alcohol use: Moderate or eliminate your consumption of alcohol. One drink is considered 1.5 ounces of liquor, 6 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer. Excessive alcohol use is a known risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Alcohol consumption can cause low or high blood sugar levels, nerve pain called neuritis, and increase in triglycerides, which is a type of fat in our blood.

4. Smoking: If you have diabetes, and you smoke cigarettes or use any other form of tobacco, you are raising your risks markedly for nearly all of the complications of diabetes. Smoking damages blood vessels and contributes to heart disease, stroke, and poor circulation in the limbs. If you need help quitting, talk to your health care provider.

5. Self-monitored blood glucose: Check your blood sugar levels frequently, at least before meals and at bedtime, and record the results in a logbook.
• Better equipment now available makes testing your blood sugar levels less painful and less complicated than ever. Your daily blood sugar diary is invaluable to your health care provider in seeing how you are responding to medications, diet, and exercise in the treatment of your diabetes.
• Medicare now pays for diabetic testing supplies, as do many private insurers and Medicaid.

The treatment of diabetes is highly individualized. It will depend on the type of diabetes, whether you have other active medical problems, as well as your age and general health at time of diagnosis. However, one fact remains constant in treatment: if you have diabetes, you must make healthier lifestyle choices in diet, exercise, and other habits. These will help to improve glycemic (blood sugar) control and prevent or minimize complications of diabetes.

1. Diet: A healthy diet is key to controlling blood sugar levels and preventing diabetes complications.

*If you are obese and have had difficulty losing weight on your own, talk to your health care provider.
*Eat a consistent, well-balanced diet that is high in fibre, low in saturated fat, and low in concentrated sugars.

*A consistent diet that includes roughly the same number of calories at about the same times of day helps your health care provider prescribe the correct dose of medication or insulin.

*It will also help to keep your blood sugar at a relatively even level and avoid excessively low or high blood sugar levels, which can be dangerous and even life threatening.

2. Exercise: Regular exercise, in any form, can help reduce the risk of developing diabetes. Activity can also reduce the risk of developing complications of diabetes such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, and leg ulcers.

Any exercise is beneficial; no matter how light or how long, some exercise is better than no exercise.

*If you have complications of diabetes (eye, kidney, or nerve problems), you may be limited both in type of exercise and amount of exercise you can safely do without worsening your condition. Consult with your health care provider before starting any exercise program.

3. Alcohol use: Moderate or eliminate your consumption of alcohol. One drink is considered 1.5 ounces of liquor, 6 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer. Excessive alcohol use is a known risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Alcohol consumption can cause low or high blood sugar levels, nerve pain called neuritis, and increase in triglycerides, which is a type of fat in our blood.

4. Smoking: If you have diabetes, and you smoke cigarettes or use any other form of tobacco, you are raising your risks markedly for nearly all of the complications of diabetes. Smoking damages blood vessels and contributes to heart disease, stroke, and poor circulation in the limbs. If you need help quitting, talk to your health care provider.

5. Self-monitored blood glucose: Check your blood sugar levels frequently, at least before meals and at bedtime, and record the results in a logbook.

*Better equipment now available makes testing your blood sugar levels less painful and less complicated than ever. Your daily blood sugar diary is invaluable to your health care provider in seeing how you are responding to medications, diet, and exercise in the treatment of your diabetes.

*Medicare now pays for diabetic testing supplies, as do many private insurers and Medicaid.