Do you find yourself feeling very thirsty? Do you pee a lot? Are you cranky without a reason? Do you feel hungry again even after you've just eaten? Are you having a hard time losing weight despite exercising often? If you answered “YES”, you might be at risk for Type 2 Diabetes.
Understanding Insulin
When talking about diabetes, insulin is always present in the conversation. Insulin is a kind of hormone made in our pancreas. It helps the cell to uptake the sugar from the bloodstream so that our body can effectively use the sugar as reserved energy for daily activities. People with Type 2 diabetes make insulin, but their cells don't use it as well as they should. With this condition, your body does not produce enough insulin to maintain normal glucose levels.
When we eat, our body converts the food we eat into its simplest forms, namely glucose (sugar), amino acids (proteins), or fatty acids (fats). The broken-down food is then absorbed into our bloodstream and carried by the blood to each cell in our body.
Having diabetes becomes a more complicated condition especially if you are not aware whether your blood glucose range is still in the normal level. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) provided a guideline on different blood glucose ranges so that people would know what range to aim for:
Adapted from: Diabetes.Co
Risks & Complications
Certain things make it more likely that you’ll get Type 2 diabetes. People who are middle-aged or older are most likely to get this kind of diabetes. It may also affect kids and teens, mainly because of childhood obesity. When left unmanaged, Type 2 diabetes may result to unwanted complications such as:
• Hypoglycemia - happens when your blood sugar levels become too low.
• Hyperglycemia - happens when your blood sugar levels become too high.
• Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic State (HHS) - a life-threatening condition characterized by severe dehydration and very high blood sugar levels.
• Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) - happens when the lack of insulin and presence of high blood sugar in your body leads to a build-up of ketones (a type of chemical that your liver produces when it breaks down fats).
Can we reverse type 2 diabetes?
Although there’s no cure for type 2 diabetes, studies show that it’s possible in some people to reverse it. The term used by the international experts for this is Remission. Remission means that your blood sugar levels are below the diabetes range without the need of taking diabetes medication.
Is Diabetes Remission achievable?
If you are newly diagnosed with diabetes or are diagnosed <5 years, you can experience diabetes remission through holistic diabetes management, which may include dropping extra pounds, getting at least 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity every day, working with your doctor to find the best mix of lifestyle changes and medication, and including strict management of your nutrition intake.
Diabetes remission is a phase wherein the condition of a patient with diabetes is slowly improving. During remission, your body is slowly able to make and use insulin again. In addition, your blood sugar levels also slowly go back to normal. It is defined as:
• Having a hemoglobin count below 6.5% (the cutoff for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis) and discontinuing all diabetes medications for at least two months;
• Having a hemoglobin count below 5.7% (the cutoff for pre-diabetes) and discontinuing all diabetes medications for at least one-year or;
• The return of blood glucose levels to the normal healthy range, in the absence of glucose lowering drugs.
Healthy Diet is of utmost importance
To further increase chances of staying in remission, following a low carb diet alongside a meal replacement can give you a 32% greater chance than following other diet plans.
Diabetasol is a meal replacement nutrition powder packed with 11 essential vitamins and 6 minerals. It is recommended for people with diabetes or prediabetes and can also be used by people who want to lose or control weight. It contains Vitadigest, a combination of inulin fiber and slow digesting carbohydrate which helps regulate blood sugar by sustaining the energy release, hence it makes you feel full longer. The components of vitamins A, C, D, E and Zinc in Diabetasol also help enhance your immune system, making you less prone to infection.
Here are some #Diabetips you may want to consider when making lifestyle changes to reach full remission in addition to taking Diabetasol:
1. Check your blood sugar frequently with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to see
how your blood sugar responds to different food and eating styles.
2. Consult a dietitian on how you can get a personalized meal distribution for your condition.
3. Be physically active and exercise regularly.
4. Aim for 10,000 steps per day and try not to let more than two days in a row of inactivity go by.
5. Aim for seven or more hours of sleep, including going to sleep at a regular hour and waking up at the same time each day.
6. Pay attention to the quality of food that can stabilize glycemic response rather than cause unwanted fluctuations.
Achieving diabetes remission is not an easy process. There will be challenges along the way. But when you maintain a healthy lifestyle by being active and watching your weight, achieving remission is possible.
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