And no, I don’t mean a TikTok account.
It’s diabetes. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the country has a prevalence rate of 6.3% in adults, with diabetes now ranking as the fourth leading cause of death in the country.
It’s now considered an “epidemic” by many health experts. In a 2019 awareness talk, Dr. JM Co, chair of the UERM Department of Medicine said:
“It (diabetes) destroys many of the organs in our body. It’s the No. 1 cause of blindness, the No. 1 cause of kidney failure that leads to dialysis and transplants. It destroys or blocks the blood vessels in the heart, in the brain, and in the legs, so that the risk of getting a heart attack or stroke, or leg amputation, is much higher than that of a person without diabetes.”
So what is diabetes and what, if anything, can Filipinos do about it?
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by the body’s inability to deal with blood sugars effectively.
The food we eat is broken down into sugars in the form of glucose and enters the bloodstream.
Glucose is the body’s main fuel source. And for it to be able to enter the cells and be used as energy, insulin (produced by the pancreas) is required.
Unfortunately for some people, their bodies do not produce enough insulin (or at all) for this process to occur. This is what is called Type 1 Diabetes, and it’s often diagnosed in children and teens.
For others, they might be producing enough insulin, but it’s not getting utilized as effectively as it should be—resulting in high levels of sugar in the blood. This is what is known as Type 2 Diabetes, which accounts for 90-95% of diagnoses. In countries like the United States, people diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes has more than doubled in the past 20 years.
At-risk for Diabetes
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, there are several known risk factors for developing Type 2 Diabetes. But they can be categorized into two main baskets: genes and lifestyle.
The first one, people have very little control of. Nobody can pick one’s family history, age, gender, or ethnicity. But the second one, lifestyle, is very much within an individual’s reach. This refers to one’s eating habits, physical activity, and weight.
That said, you have a risk for Type 2 Diabetes if you are or have:
a family history of diabetes
obese
at least 45 years old
physically inactive
high blood pressure
a history of heart disease or stroke
suffering from depression
While the list above does not automatically mean Type 2 Diabetes, they increase the likelihood of a person developing it.
Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes
Unlike Type 1 Diabetes symptoms that are severe and can suddenly develop (eg. nausea, vomiting, stomach pains), Type 2 Diabetes is more of the slow burn type.
The symptoms can slowly develop over the years, and many people don’t even notice it. The only way to be sure is to visit your doctor and have your blood sugar level determined.
Symptoms of diabetes include:
always being thirsty
peeing often, especially at night
always being hungry
having blurry vision
having numbness or a tingling sensation in the hands and feet
have wounds that heal slowly
always feel tired
have very dry skin
have dry mouth
often catching infections
Insulin Resistance and Prediabetes
We already know that insulin is needed to let the glucose enter the cells. Over time, and for some reason or another, cells become less sensitive and might not respond as well to the insulin signaling mechanism. When this happens, the pancreas adapts by pumping more insulin to keep blood sugar levels normal.
However, if this keeps on happening, and the cells respond less and less to insulin, there comes a point when the pancreas is tapped out and cannot produce more insulin to counteract the cells’ weak response.
This leads to increasing levels of glucose in the blood.
“Prediabetes” is a state when there is elevated blood sugar in the blood, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
A fasting blood sugar level of 99 mg/dL and below is considered normal, 100-125 mg/dL suggests prediabetes, and 126 mg/dL means you have diabetes.
It is important that folks at prediabetes levels immediately take steps to manage their blood sugar levels in order to avoid the many complications of full-blown diabetes.
Living With Diabetes
There is yet no effective cure for diabetes. However, it can be managed one day at a time. Here are some things folks can do:
1) Watch those carbs
Pay special attention to the foods that are rich in carbohydrates because they are more potent than protein and fats in raising your blood sugar levels.
Not saying that you avoid these foods altogether, but limit your intake of rice, pasta, potatoes, and bread. Split your carb intake between meals so that you don’t get too much of a spike in your blood sugar.
Instead, put more fiber on your plate. That means fresh fruits and vegetables, and nuts and seeds. Fiber lowers your LDL or bad cholesterol, which clogs your blood vessels and may even cause a heart attack or stroke.
You can find plenty of “diabetes-friendly” recipes and desserts online—for when you want to have all that gooey goodness, but none of the guilt.
2) Live an active lifestyle
Ironically, many people, after being diagnosed with diabetes, have gone on to live fuller and happier lives. Spurred by the need to exercise, they have implemented lifestyle changes that bettered their everyday routines. Some have taken to walking and have explored the villages and the neighborhoods they’ve lived in for decades. They’ve met exercise buddies they would otherwise never have spoken to. Others have taken to biking and have gone to places they would never have seen.
Choose a physical activity you like. Pick up a racket, a ball or a stick, a sport of some sort. The main goal here is to engage in activities that require some exertion on your part, making you sweat a little, and nudging your heart to thump a little.
And when all is said and done, always go for water over any of those sugary drinks cooling in the fridge.
3) Chill
The more we learn about toxic stress, the more we realize its role in a whole host of diseases.
Your blood sugar levels rise when you experience anxiety and stress.
It’s not just because of “stress eating.”
When you’re stressed, your body interprets this as a threat, so it prepares for action. Glucose is released from storage (eg. liver) and into the blood so energy is readily available for either “fight” or “flight” scenario.
High levels of glucose increase insulin resistance, which over time may lead to higher doses of the medication needed to control blood sugar. Not good.
Fight chronic stress with activities that melt the toxic pressures of everyday life. Watch a funny movie, read a good book, have coffee with a friend, get a massage. Avoid people, topics, and situations that stress you out. If, for example, “color politics” makes you foam in the mouth, then avoid engaging in it.
Keep cool and your blood sugar level will reflect it.
4) Let go of the bottle and the stick
These might be the only remaining joys in your life, but there won’t be much of life to look forward to if you don’t regulate or let go of them.
Smoking makes diabetes more difficult to manage. Nicotine increases your blood sugar levels, and if you’re diabetic, you will be requiring ever-larger doses of insulin to manage your condition.
Besides worsening your diabetes, smoking is detrimental to your health in more ways than one. “According to DOH, there is an evident data that death, disease and disability result from tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.” Every day, there are at least 240 Filipinos who die of tobacco-related diseases.
Alcohol, for its part, increases the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, and it’s best to keep your intake to a minimum. For diabetics, alcohol also complicates diabetes management as it will likely interfere with your medication. In addition, it also prevents the liver (which stores glycogen) from doing its job properly. In the end, a drinker could suffer from hypoglycemia or low blood sugar levels. Now low blood sugar might sound good to a diabetic, but this condition should not be taken lightly because it can escalate very quickly into something serious.
5) Cuts Beware
You might have known that diabetes patients have slow-healing wounds. Several factors play a role here. High glucose levels hinder the work of white blood cells, making it harder for them to fight off bacteria and deal with wounds. In addition, diabetes can also lead to poor blood circulation, especially at the extremities, preventing wound-healing nutrients from reaching pertinent areas.
In addition, diabetes can cause nerve damage which numbs sensation. In the toes, for example. So a diabetic might already be nursing a wound and not even know it. Taken together, these cause festering infections and cuts that don’t heal.
The worst-case scenario? If not promptly attended, it could ultimately lead to amputation.
Diabetics are reminded to take care of their feet and toes. Check them regularly. Move and massage them to keep the blood flowing to the area. Don’t scratch too hard so you don’t injure yourself. Watch out for blisters and bruises that may fester.
Are you worried that the next cut might spell disaster for you? Do you want to know your blood sugar level?
BloodWorks Lab is your one-stop shop for all your blood test needs. We offer the full range of laboratory screenings and medical assessments. We are also the first in the country to offer the Anti Acetylcholine Receptor (lgG) Antibody Test and the Anti N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor (Anti NMDA Receptor) Antibody Test.
Come and give us a visit. Our branches are in Alabang, Katipunan, and Cebu.