Diabetes
What is diabetes?
Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas. After you eat food your sugar level rises, cells in the pancreas are signalled to release insulin to your blood stream. Insulin then signals the cells to absorb sugar from the blood stream to produce energy. Diabetes mellitus describes a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. This can be because your pancreas cannot produce enough insulin or your cells cannot use the insulin properly to produce energy. Both instances can also occur.
What are the risk factors of type II diabetes?
- The more fatty tissue that you have the more resistant your cells are to insulin.
- Inactivity: Physical activity helps you control your weight, uses up glucose as energy and makes your cells more sensitive to insulin
- Family history: You are at increased risk of diabetes if your parent or sibling has diabetes.
- Age : As you get older your risk increases
- Gestational diabetes: If you developed gestational diabetes you are at risk of developing diabetes later in life
- High blood pressure: This is also a risk factor
- Abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels: Low levels of high density lipoprotein (good cholesterol) and high levels of triglycerides are also risk factors.
What can I do?
It is important to manage your weight. Your body mass index should be less than 25 kg/m2 and your waist circumference should be 32 inches if you are a woman and 37 inches if you are a man.
Exercise and physical activity should be included in your daily routine accumulating up to 150 minutes per week. Strength training will also improve the insulin sensitivity in your muscles. This should be started under the supervision of an exercise professional. Exercise will also help your blood pressure which should be less than 140/90.
At Heart 2 Heart we combine both aerobic and weight training to optimise your glucose metabolism and help with weight management. Blood pressure and heart rates are monitored during the sessions. Programmes are individualised or within a group setting.
Note: Body Mass Index = Weight/ Height X Height