What are the Dangers of Becoming Diabetic?
Have you or a loved one been diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes?
Maybe you have taken a quiz like MyDiabetesQuiz.com which indicates you are high-risk of becoming diabetic.
If so, you are not alone. In fact, in the US alone there are 100 million adults now living with diabetes or prediabetes, according to a new report from the CDC. The CDC report found that 30 million Americans have diabetes, and 84 million have prediabetes, a condition that if left untreated will most likely lead to type 2 diabetes within 5 years.
"The CDC report found that 30 Americans have diabetes, and 84 million have pre-diabetes, a condition that if left untreated will most likely lead to type 2 diabetes within 5 years. The report also found that in 2015 diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death in the US"
The bad news is that 90% of pre-diabetics don’t even know they have pre-diabetes, and 25% of individuals living with diabetes don’t even know they have it.
The Good News…
The good news is that although diabetes is a serious disease, it is often times reversible, or at least able to be managed through the right foods, physical activity, and under the care of a physician who may opt to prescribe medications or a diabetes program, for reversing or managing the illness.
"The sooner people find out they have prediabetes and take action, the better their chances of preventing type 2 diabetes.” – Ann Albright, PhD, RD
Since diabetes is a serious illness, it can trigger many other health complications in the body. This is why it is very important to catch the disease in the early stages. In fact, if you catch these blood sugar disorders in the pre-diabetes state, then your likelihood of completely reversing it, is very good.
So what are the most common serious illnesses or diseases caused by untreated diabetes?
Heart and Blood Vessel Disease
Diabetes can significantly increase the risk of heart and cardiovascular problems. This includes an increased risk for heart attack, stroke, angina (coronary heart disease with chest pain), atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries) and high blood pressure.
"Heart disease is the number one leading cause of death in the United States, and a significant underlying cause of heart disease is diabetes. In fact, it is estimated that a staggering 85% of people diagnosed with diabetes will die from cardiovascular disease"
Nerve Damage (Neuropathy)
When there are excessive amounts of sugar in the blood, then it can injure the walls of the small blood vessels/capillaries that supply blood, oxygen, and nutrients to your nerves, especially in the legs. This damage to the capillaries can cause burning, pain, tingling, and numbness, in your limbs, including your fingers and toes that gradually spreads.
This eventually leads to a loss of feeling in your limbs. When there is damage to the nerves of the digestive system, it can result in poor digestion including diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and constipation. For men, erectile dysfunction may also be an issue.
Kidney Damage/Disease and Kidney Failure
The kidneys are responsible for filtering the blood of waste. Diabetes can lead to permanent damage to the millions of tiny blood vessel clusters that filter this waste. Severe damage can lead to kidney failure or irreversible end-stage kidney disease, which eventually requires dialysis or a transplant.
Eye Damage and Blindness
Excess blood sugar damages the blood vessels in the body, including in the blood vessels of the retina. This is known as diabetic retinopathy, which can eventually lead to blindness. This damage to the blood vessels of the eye can also lead to other serious vision problems such as glaucoma and cataracts.
Foot Damage and Amputations
Diabetes has been known to cause foot damage that can lead to foot, toe, or even complete leg amputations. This again comes back to the nerve damage that this disease causes, which leads to poor blood flow and the increased likelihood of problems with the feet, including serious infections of the feet.
Hearing Loss and Impairment
Hearing loss is very common in those with diabetes. In fact, a recent study found that those who have diabetes are twice as likely to lose their hearing over those who do not have the disease.
Alzheimer's Disease
While researchers are still working to pinpoint the exact connection between Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes, they have been able to identify a clear link between the less control that one has over their blood sugar, the higher the likelihood of getting Alzheimer’s disease.
Other Complications
While the aforementioned illnesses and diseases are the most common, there are a host of other complications that can come as a result of diabetes including:
Infections
Dental problems
Diabetic Coma
Sleep Apnea
Skin Conditions
Restless Leg Syndrome
Inflammation
Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Gastroparesis
Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome (HHNS)
Memory Loss
And many others
Diabetes Does Not Have to be a Death Sentence
Regardless of where you are in your journey with diabetes, I would encourage you to remember that diabetes does not have to be a death sentence. While the disease is almost entirely preventable, it also typically responds very well to some simple daily lifestyle changes. Often times, individuals think reversing diabetes requires a drastic lifestyle change like training for a marathon or eating their organic greens smoothies. This could not be further from the truth.
The Truth Behind Reversing Diabetes and Weight Loss
The truth is we know that diabetes responds very well to simple daily lifestyle changes. We have seen this as a result of our assisting thousands of individuals to successfully reverse diabetes, lose weight, lower cholesterol, and decrease blood pressure,
For these simple lifestyle changes, we tell individuals to focus on 80% “good”. “Good” means 30 minutes per day of an activity that you enjoy. If you love to walk, then walk. If you love to garden, then garden. If you hate to run, then don’t run. The “good” here also means the “right” foods, not “tasteless” foods. If you hate the foods that you eat and the activities you do, then you will never be willing to do them to see the success in your life.
If you focus on 80% good, then you can build in those days each week where you allow yourself those treats (the 20%). And guess what? When you allow yourself dedicated times to splurge with those treats, you thoroughly enjoy them so much more than when you allow yourself unrestricted access to them. That’s where our name Hope 80/20 comes from.
It all comes down to the quote we share with every individual who comes to us for advice or help.
“You do not have to perfect to be healthy. You only have to be consistent.”
If you need help with the consistency or just need a roadmap with proven success, why not give our program a test-drive for FREE for 7 days? You will receive one-on-one access to your Diabetes Prevention and Weight Loss Coach who will personally help you throughout the week, proven step-by-step on-demand video tutorials you can watch anytime anywhere, plus VIP access to our weekly webinar and Q&A sessions with our Head Coach who will deep dive into your health questions, and offer you the information and inspiration you need to succeed during the week ahead.
If you would like to try this all completely FREE, with no obligations and the ability to cancel anytime, click here. We are also including for a limited time our Grocery Shopping List and Quick Start Guide ($30 Value) for FREE that is yours to keep, even if you decide to cancel.
