Debunking Diabetes: An Introduction

Ladies aaaand gentlemen! In the blogging world—in support of Stroke Awareness Month, there is one stroke risk factor SO prevalent, SO misunderstood, requiring SO much explanation, it doesn’t have to share its blog with any other risk factor. 29.1 million Americans have it, and another 8.1 million Americans carry it around with them every single day and are completely unaware of it.

Congratulations, Diabetes! You get your very own blog.

Saweeeet.

November is American Diabetes Month. I am excited to share lots more information about Diabetes at that time. My goals for today are to 1—Debunk the junk that I hear about this disease that, honestly, is not taken seriously enough, and 2—to again, give you the WHY. I will answer why this is a risk factor for stroke.

The American Diabetes Association recognizes four types of Diabetes, but I will only address the two that I think most people are more familiar with—type I and type II. Remember, medical pathology and mechanisms are complicated, but I am working to present them in a way that makes them easier to understand and explain to others. My explanations are NOT an exact science. So please—don’t disparage me if I leave out a detail…or four. Ha.

I want to get type I Diabetes out of the way first thing. Not that it isn’t important. It’s just that it accounts for 5-10% of all people with Diabetes, and it is very different than the more prevalent type II. Understand that Diabetes type I is an autoimmune disease. This means that the body’s immune system is attacking and destroying the cells that have a huge hand in controlling blood sugar levels. Debunk number one: Type I Diabetes is a lifelong challenge, must be closely managed, and one does not simply “grow out of it”.  There will definitely be more juicy details on this in November.

Although there are some medical conditions that create exceptions to this statement, Diabetes type II is almost completely controllable by diet and exercise. Please wait until November before you egg my house over debunk number two—there is just SO much to explain in this regard, but this is not the blog in which to address that. I only say this to illustrate the main difference between type I and type II Diabetes. This condition does relate to the same cells that help control blood sugar, but the cells are not destroyed and are still functional.

I believe that we discussed before that carbohydrates are the body’s preferred fuel source. Carbs=sugar, remember? When we eat, our body digests the food, turns it into stuff our body can use (sugar/glucose) and it absorbs into our bloodstream. From there, it is supposed to enter our cells so it can travel to the places that need it—our brain, our skeletal muscles (like today when my stroll through the woods turned into a mountainous terrain hike due to my lack of preparation, but let’s not go there…) Sometimes the sugar is not able to get into the cell, so it remains in the blood stream. No harm, no foul, right?

Wrong. And here comes the why.

When broken down, even in its smallest form, sugar is a HUGE molecule. It’s like that kid in your son’s kindergarten class that looks like he is in 3^rd grade. Or that gigantic boy on your 7^th grader’s rival football team that shows up with his birth certificate to show proof he’s not in high school. He doesn’t MEAN to leave havoc in his wake—he just DOES. Cuz he’s just…he’s just BIG! The sugar molecule bangs around your vessels and can tear up the inside lining, encouraging clots to form as it heals—clots with the potential to break off and travel to your brain and block off blood flow. Too much sugar in your blood also adds to the build up of fatty deposits that narrow your vessels, also blocking the flow of blood to your brain, putting you at risk for stroke.

This section I would like to title: Other Fun Things I Hear

“I am going to skip the ice cream and eat this bag of pretzels instead.””

Debunk: There are many people that think carbohydrates are only the sugary things that are going IN your body. Carbohydrates are things that turn to sugar ones they are digested. Pretzels sound healthy, but not for a diabetic. They are one of the highest things on the glycemic index—a system that ranks food based on what effect they have on blood sugar levels.

“I can eat more dessert tonight. I will just take another diabetes pill.”

Please. Stop. Just Stop.

Debunk: First off, depending on what type of medication you are taking, you can drop your blood sugar dangerously low. Taking a medication other than as directed by a doctor is just not very smart.  Next, managing diabetes is all about lifestyle changes.  We have already established that this is dangerous. This is also the apathetic choice in diabetic management.

“My doctor is checking my blood sugar at my appointment tomorrow afternoon. I will eat really good today and all day tomorrow, and my blood sugar levels will look great!”

Debunk: Your point of care fingerstick is going to look amazing, you can count on it. But in three days, that vial of blood your doctor has taken from your arm is gonna spit out an itty-bitty test result called a Hemoglobin A1C. Did you know that the A1C part of Hemoglobin holds on to sugar for oh…about…8 weeks? So don’t you worry about the last couple of days. Doc can look back over the last TWO MONTHS and see how much sugar you are consuming. Isn’t that COOL?

So, we have introduced Diabetes type I and II, discussed differences, and we have talked about why diabetes contributes to stroke. I gave you some extras too! I realize I may have left you with more questions than answers. Sometimes, that’s good! It prepares your mind for new information and gives you something to look forward to. I pointed out some diabetic myths—man, those make me mad! Also, the American Diabetic Association has great accurate information and is an excellent resource that will truly help you to…

Be Well!