Did you know? Diabetes affects millions of people all across the globe every year, and when it’s not controlled, it can do lots of damage to the body, such as causing blindness, kidney failure and heart disease. So, how likely are you to get the disease?

Read on as our team at AFC Urgent Care Centennial provides some helpful info below.

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the way the body regulates glucose, which is your body’s blood sugar. Glucose is important because it is the fuel that feeds your body’s cells, but it needs insulin to enter those cells.

There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. With Type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t produce insulin. On the flip side, those with Type 2 diabetes don’t respond to insulin as well as they should and usually don’t produce enough insulin later on. As we said earlier, diabetes can cause many different types of health complications when left untreated, and we’ve listed just a few common ones below.

Health Complications Caused By Diabetes

• Increases stroke risk
• Can cause cataracts and glaucoma
• Increases risk of heart disease and other infections
• Leads to chronically high blood sugar levels
• Causes nerve damage

How Can I Avoid Diabetes?

While the exact causes of diabetes are still generally unknown, there are definitely some common factors that increase your risk: family history, obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise and hormonal conditions.

While there’s not really anything you can do to improve your family history and hormonal conditions, the other common risk factors can be improved by living a healthy lifestyle by doing the things we’ve listed below.

Ways to Lower Diabetes Risk

• Reduce the amount of sugar and refined carbs in your diet.
• Exercise regularly.
• Drink lots of water.
• Quit or refrain from smoking.
• Avoid a sedentary lifestyle.

Diabetes is very common among Americans, but living a healthy lifestyle is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of getting this disease. If you have any questions or medical concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at AFC Urgent Care Centennial!