Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, T2DM or simply Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder affecting around 5% of Australia's population with a new diagnosis every 5 minutes! Everyone would have heard of Diabetes and most people assume that you can live well even with diabetes. And whilst that is true, those that live well manage their condition well - and those that don't manage their condition well have significant problems.
What is diabetes?
Essentially, it comes down to blood sugar levels. Diabetes is uncontrolled blood sugar where the body cannot convert glucose (sugar) into energy. Glucose is a normal part of many foods such as bread, rice, pasta, cereal and fruit and our body must break down glucose in order to utilise the energy. Insulin is a natural hormone produced by the pancreas, and is responsible for metabolising glucose. However in Diabetes, insulin is not produced in high enough quantities to combat the glucose level and so the body cannot maintain healthy levels of blood glucose.
Over time uncontrolled blood glucose levels can lead to many health complications such as retinopathy (and blindness), kidney disease, vascular issues leading to poor wound healing (ulcers and in some instances avoding of surgery because the healing of wounds can not be guaranteed), diabetic neuropathy causing numbness and potentially amputation, heart disease and stroke.
There are several types of diabetes including
- Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM): Occurs when the pancreas does not produce any insulin and account for 5-10% of all people with diabetes. People with T1DM are insulin dependent.
- Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM): Occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or when the pancreas is unable to produce sufficient amounts. T2DM accounts for 85-90% of all diabetic cases and is initially managed with exercise, healthy eating and weight loss. However, due to diabetes being a progressive disease, medication and insulin are often needed in conjunction with lifestyle changes to manage T2DM.
- Gestational Diabetes: Occurs during pregnancy when blood glucose levels are recorded at abnormal levels. Gestational diabetes normally subsides after pregnancy but it can develop into T2DM. Approximately 12-14% of women will be diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
What can I do for T2DM?
There is no cure. Diabetes can be managed to some extent with medication (insulin), monitoring (blood tests/prick tests) and diet. However, one of the best ways to manage diabetes is with exercise. Physical activity is a key component in preventing T2DM from occurring in the first place, and should be a standard part of management for those who have T2DM. A combination of aerobic (walking, running, swimming, cycling) and resistance training (body weight, free weight and machines) provide many benefits in not only controlling T2DM but delaying the progression of the condition. These exercises control blood glucose, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce lipid.fat levels, lower blood pressue, improve weight loss, improve cardiovascular endurance, increase muscle mass and overall quality of life. Exercise can have a dramatic and immediate effect on blood sugar levels - with levels dramatically dropping in an exercise session (we can test before and after the session) proving exercise is really the best medicine. This can in turn reduce the need for medication control and insulin dependance in those with T2DM - so much so, that many people who exercise regularly don't even need to take insulin at all!
There is special funding through Medicare for those with diabetes to access 8 group sessions with an Exercise Physiologist. Not many GP's know about this - so if your GP doesn't, please call us so we can give you the required Medicare form for your GP to fill in. Exercise Physiologists are experts at managing people with chronic conditions and Diabetes is no exception!
If you have diabetes, please call us on 95801985 to learn how our Exercise Physiologist can help you!