What is blood sugar?
Treatment programmes for type 2 diabetes mellitus will normally aim to help a patient control their sugar metabolism.Patients will also find that the treatment for diabetes includes learning how to managing other conditions associated with type 2 diabetes such as hypertension, heart disease, obesity, neuropathy, eye disorders and many others.
The presence of insulin is essential for patients and their sugar metabolism. In the early stages of type 2 diabetes, a relative lack of insulin occurs.
This means that less insulin is available than is actually needed. With further progression of the disease, the body’s own insulin reserves decrease.
Controlling your sugar metabolism can be achieved by three levels of treatment.
The first step in treating type 2 diabetes is usually lifestyle changes, followed by oral drugs that lower blood glucose, and finally some kind of insulin therapy to complement the first two stages.
However, the form that therapy takes varies from person to person, as it varies according to an individual patient’s circumstances.
Factors which may affect the choice of treatment programme include the stage of the disease, how closely you comply with the treatment programme, and whether you have other conditions like renal or liver diseases etc.
„ Understanding diabetes means you can better control the disease and minimise the impact it has on your daily life.
Lifestyle changes
Exercise and changing to a more adequate diet are important measures that can have powerful effects. Making these changes can help control type 2 diabetes, especially in the early stage of the disease.Moreover, it can also help prevent high-risk patients who suffer from pre-diabetes or obesity from developing the disease in the first place. Optimising body weight is crucial, as obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends 150min/week of aerobic physical activity or 30min on most days of physical activities like walking, gardening, house cleaning, and others.
Exercise might cause weight loss but it also improves blood glucose levels and reduces the risk of heart disease and hypertension.
Changes to your diet should involve, among others, reducing your fat intake, a modest reduction of calories and eating fibre-containing foods such as whole grains, certain nuts as well as some vegetables and fruits.
