Tag Archives: Type 2 diabetes

Gum Health and Diabetes

Posted on by

The American Diabetes Association believes that people with type 2 diabetes can help control the disease by taking care of their gums. Several studies support this belief. A study of United States population data between 1988 and 1994 showed that having gum disease doubled a person’s risk of experiencing insulin resistance. A study from Stony Brook University linked severity of gum disease with degree of insulin resistance. Inflammatory chemicals produced by the infection in the mouth could enter the bloodstream and affect cells that deal with insulin. A study from the National Institutes of Health found that treating gum disease … Continue reading →

Why Overweight Kids are at Risk For Type 2 Diabetes

Posted on by

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, approximately 13 percent of children age six to eleven years old, and 14 percent of adolescents twelve to nineteen years old are overweight. In the year 2000, a panel of experts from the American Diabetes Association estimated that on average, 20 percent of newly diagnosed diabetes in children was type 2, and 85 percent of these kids were obese. Type 2 diabetes was once almost exclusively an adult disease, but in recent years the numbers of children with diabetes type 2 is increasing at alarming rates. With today’s surge in video technology, kids are … Continue reading →

Caring For the Elderly: The Health Police

Kristyn wrote a great article a few weeks ago about being the Blood Sugar Police. It really struck a chord with me because while she cares for a son with diabetes, I am helping care for a grandmother with diabetes. I live with my eighty year old grandmother, and am one of her primary caretakers. We have good days and bad days… and the bad days can be really bad. “Why don’t you just leave an old lady alone to die?” That’s my favorite quote. (Not really.) It’s what she says when someone is nagging her to take her medicine, … Continue reading →

Exercise for Diabetics

Research shows that exercise can help diabetics — especially the fifteen million Americans with Type 2 diabetes — regulate blood sugar and live longer! A twelve-year study of Type 2 diabetics found that those who exercised regularly had many positive results: Improved blood sugar control Lower blood pressure Lower cholesterol Weight loss Improved circulation Reduced stress Exercise can actually make cells more responsive to insulin! And you don’t need to be running a marathon every day. Just thirty minutes of moderate exercise more than three days a week is enough to help manage blood sugar. As long as you are … Continue reading →