Sugar Isn’t Sweet
November 4, 2019
I’m sure you’ve heard about Type 2 Diabetes, the fact that the prevalence is rising rapidly in the US and the severe complications it may cause. What many people still don’t realize is Type 2 Diabetes is a slow process and does not develop overnight.
Unfortunately, by the time most people develop symptoms the disease has been present for a long time and when left untreated, significant complications can occur. The most severe outcomes of poorly controlled diabetes include cardiovascular disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, retinopathy (eye damage), poor circulation and dementia (1). Lucky for you, there is a way to screen before symptoms even start.
Many practices screen for diabetes using fasting blood glucose, which is a snapshot of your blood sugar at the moment the lab was drawn. This is a decent screening tool but can miss the earliest signs of diabetes or prediabetes. This is why at WellMax, we use fasting blood glucose, insulin levels, and an A1c to screen for diabetes.
The body’s earliest sign of diabetes is insulin resistance, meaning the body’s cells are not responding well to insulin. The pancreas is then forced to produce excess insulin so the cells can use glucose for energy.
Ultimately the resistance continues, and blood sugar continues to elevate leading to prediabetes and ultimately Type 2 Diabetes (2). By monitoring glucose AND insulin levels, we can detect the earliest sings of insulin resistance in order to stop diabetes before it develops by making appropriate lifestyle modifications.
The sooner we catch it, the sooner it can be treated to prevent major complications. Check your sugar at WellMax today!
