John W - The complications of diabetes is from having high glucose levels for prolonged periods of time, if you have your glucose levels well managed then you would not have those high levels. I suppose it's dependent on what degree you consider them to be managed.
Lemuell - In all Seriousness and Honesty Yes!! If and only if you do not modify your lifestyle thoroughly and permanently. Diabetes is like having a gun barrel at the side of your head and you are the one with the trigger; it highly depends on your resolve to erase and obliterate temptations of alcohol, cigarettes, limiting sweets, and all vices. I highly suggest monitoring your blood sugar and teach your children about this hereditary disease.
Jessica - Many people do get complications, even though they manage their diabetes perfectly. Diabetes is a progressive disease, and it generally gets worse over time.
You can usually delay the complications by quite a lot, but not always. And there are factors beyond your control...for instance, if you get sick, your blood sugar goes up. If you take certain medications, your blood sugar goes up. Etc.
Ben Trolled - Yes. It's a progressive disease.Best you can do it try to control levels.
Many people think they lead a healthy lifestyle, but they are not. A high glycemic index diet will bring on the complications. And lack of exercise is a big factor..
If you maintain a healthy life style and control your diabetes type 2 then there is no reason to believe that you will get the complications of diabetes. My definition of healthy life style is keeping blood sugar level at six or below, no alcohol, Moderate exercise 5 times per week, no smoking, no red meats, cholesterol levels must be within normal levels and drinking adequate amount of water. Good luck.
TheOrange Evil - If your blood sugar stays at a non-diabetic level basically all of the time, then why would you be any more likely to develop complications than a non-diabetic?
There aren't "many people" who control their diabetes "perfectly" and still develop complications. They may be following the backward advice of the American Diabetes Association and their doctors who recommend an A1c below 7%. A truly non-diabetic A1c falls between around 4.6% and 5% and the risk of cardiovascular disease goes up from there in a linear fashion with A1c. In other words, "perfect" as defined by most physicians is not what I would consider perfect. In fact, part of the reason so many diabetics do develop complications is because they honestly believe they are managing blood sugar very well based on the advice they're receiving. These people should not be lumped into the same group as diabetics who really do manage diabetes so well that their blood sugar levels are normal the vast majority of the time, yet they do and they get cited as examples of how complications are inevitable. Keeping your A1c over 6% on a regular basis, and maybe even keeping your A1c over 5.7% on a regular basis, could be contributing to organ and nerve damage, despite most doctors believing that you're controlling diabetes "perfectly."
For many diabetics, around half, diabetes is progressive. Progressive just means the loss of insulin production over time. I don't know why, though, that this would mean that a diabetic is going to develop complications if blood sugar control is "perfect" in spite of this progression. The progression makes blood sugar control HARDER, but not impossible. If the diabetic progresses, but manages blood sugar extremely well regardless, then the risk of complications hasn't gone up. I really don't understand why anyone would argue that progression means complications when that's simply not true. Progression is an obstacle to good control, not a wall, and not why diabetics get complications.
Diabetes may be progressing in some people more than others due to genes, but another possibility is that poor management--the combination of high insulin levels due to resistance and glucotoxicity (high blood sugar)--may advance the disease even more. There's reason to be hopeful that excellent control may help slow down or even halt the progress of the disease, but as diabetics we all have to be vigilant and prepared for that happening anyway, despite our best efforts.
In short, if your blood sugar really is truly normal almost all the day and you lead a healthy life in other ways, then your risk of complications, infection, slow healing, and so on are not really higher than anyone who doesn't have diabetes. The problem is that this "true normal" is very hard to accomplish and most people, due to lack of information, probably don't have a good understanding of where they should be aiming. There's a very big difference between what the ADA tells you is sufficient and what level will give you diabetic complications.
John W - The complications of diabetes is from having high glucose levels for prolonged periods of time, if you have your glucose levels well managed then you would not have those high levels. I suppose it's dependent on what degree you consider them to be managed.
ReplyDeleteLemuell - In all Seriousness and Honesty Yes!! If and only if you do not modify your lifestyle thoroughly and permanently. Diabetes is like having a gun barrel at the side of your head and you are the one with the trigger; it highly depends on your resolve to erase and obliterate temptations of alcohol, cigarettes, limiting sweets, and all vices. I highly suggest monitoring your blood sugar and teach your children about this hereditary disease.
ReplyDeleteJessica - Many people do get complications, even though they manage their diabetes perfectly. Diabetes is a progressive disease, and it generally gets worse over time.
ReplyDeleteYou can usually delay the complications by quite a lot, but not always. And there are factors beyond your control...for instance, if you get sick, your blood sugar goes up. If you take certain medications, your blood sugar goes up. Etc.
Ben Trolled - Yes. It's a progressive disease.Best you can do it try to control levels.
ReplyDeleteMany people think they lead a healthy lifestyle, but they are not. A high glycemic index diet will bring on the complications. And lack of exercise is a big factor..
Take care
Ben Trolled
Shergill - Hi Alexaada,
ReplyDeleteIf you maintain a healthy life style and control your diabetes type 2 then there is no reason to believe that you will get the complications of diabetes. My definition of healthy life style is keeping blood sugar level at six or below, no alcohol, Moderate exercise 5 times per week, no smoking, no red meats, cholesterol levels must be within normal levels and drinking adequate amount of water. Good luck.
TheOrange Evil - If your blood sugar stays at a non-diabetic level basically all of the time, then why would you be any more likely to develop complications than a non-diabetic?
ReplyDeleteThere aren't "many people" who control their diabetes "perfectly" and still develop complications. They may be following the backward advice of the American Diabetes Association and their doctors who recommend an A1c below 7%. A truly non-diabetic A1c falls between around 4.6% and 5% and the risk of cardiovascular disease goes up from there in a linear fashion with A1c. In other words, "perfect" as defined by most physicians is not what I would consider perfect. In fact, part of the reason so many diabetics do develop complications is because they honestly believe they are managing blood sugar very well based on the advice they're receiving. These people should not be lumped into the same group as diabetics who really do manage diabetes so well that their blood sugar levels are normal the vast majority of the time, yet they do and they get cited as examples of how complications are inevitable. Keeping your A1c over 6% on a regular basis, and maybe even keeping your A1c over 5.7% on a regular basis, could be contributing to organ and nerve damage, despite most doctors believing that you're controlling diabetes "perfectly."
For many diabetics, around half, diabetes is progressive. Progressive just means the loss of insulin production over time. I don't know why, though, that this would mean that a diabetic is going to develop complications if blood sugar control is "perfect" in spite of this progression. The progression makes blood sugar control HARDER, but not impossible. If the diabetic progresses, but manages blood sugar extremely well regardless, then the risk of complications hasn't gone up. I really don't understand why anyone would argue that progression means complications when that's simply not true. Progression is an obstacle to good control, not a wall, and not why diabetics get complications.
Diabetes may be progressing in some people more than others due to genes, but another possibility is that poor management--the combination of high insulin levels due to resistance and glucotoxicity (high blood sugar)--may advance the disease even more. There's reason to be hopeful that excellent control may help slow down or even halt the progress of the disease, but as diabetics we all have to be vigilant and prepared for that happening anyway, despite our best efforts.
In short, if your blood sugar really is truly normal almost all the day and you lead a healthy life in other ways, then your risk of complications, infection, slow healing, and so on are not really higher than anyone who doesn't have diabetes. The problem is that this "true normal" is very hard to accomplish and most people, due to lack of information, probably don't have a good understanding of where they should be aiming. There's a very big difference between what the ADA tells you is sufficient and what level will give you diabetic complications.