In this month’s issue, we’re looking at how blood glucose meters can help people with diabetes manage their condition. It’s vital for people with diabetes to keep a close eye on their glucose levels because too much glucose circulating in the bloodstream damages blood vessels, potentially harming the eyes, heart, liver, kidneys, and feet. This doesn’t have to happen—there is a lot you can do to prevent diabetes from developing in the first place, and control it if you already have it.
A major underlying risk factor for type 2 diabetes (the most common type) is obesity. While some other diabetes risk factors, like having a family history of the disease, are uncontrollable, your weight is definitely something you can work on—and weight loss, combined with regular exercise, may be more effective than drugs when it comes to keeping blood glucose at healthy levels. In one study, people with prediabetes (high blood glucose that isn’t quite high enough for a diabetes diagnosis) who reduced calories and fat in their diets, and were physically active for at least 30 minutes a day five days per week, cut their risk of progressing to diabetes by 58 percent.
If you don’t normally exercise, start out slowly. Walk daily, increasing the distance or time by a small amount regularly until you get to 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Get a pedometer and try to work toward 10,000 steps each day. You can benefit even more if you turn your daily walk into an opportunity to socialize outdoors with others—your local senior center may have a walking group, or you could start one yourself.
Watch portion sizes at mealtimes—combining your walking regimen with a decrease in caloric intake of about 200 to 250 calories daily should result in weight loss of about a half-pound per week. The American Diabetes Association recommends that you avoid sugary, high-calorie snack foods like chips, cookies, and full-fat ice cream; choose whole-grain foods over processed grain products; eat fish two to three times a week; and avoid drinking regular soda, sweet tea, or other sugary beverages.
If you’re diabetic, controlling your blood pressure and lipids (fats) is as important as controlling your blood glucose levels. In general, blood pressure should be no more than 140/80, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol should be less than 100 (less than 70 if you have diabetes and heart disease), and triglycerides less than 150. Discuss with your doctor what your targets should be. You also may want to invest in a home blood pressure monitor so you can regularly check your blood pressure.
There’s a real art to controlling blood glucose, since levels change with activity, the foods we eat, and some drugs. Learning how to keep it in a normal range will take time, but if you have diabetes it’s one of the best things you can do for your health. The bottom line is that nobody can control your diabetes as well as you can. Consider conquering diabetes to be a personal challenge— it may not be an easy battle to win, but it’s well worth the fight.
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