Albuquerque Journal
New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more
Published: Sunday, December 11th, 2022 at 12:02AM
Updated: Sunday, December 11th, 2022 at 12:15AM
Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Diabetes is the No. 1 cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and adult blindness.
In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled.
According to the American Diabetes Association:
• Approximately 200,548 people in New Mexico or 12.3% of the adult population, have diagnosed diabetes. (Higher than Arizona, Colorado, Utah)
• An additional 53,000 people in New Mexico have diabetes but don’t know it, greatly increasing their health risk
• There are 587,000 people in New Mexico, 36.1% of the adult population, who have prediabetes with blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
• Every year an estimated 14,611 people in New Mexico are diagnosed with diabetes.
In 2021, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health invested nearly $2 million in diabetes-related projects in New Mexico.
The Division of Diabetes Translation at the CDC provided nearly $1.5 million in diabetes prevention and educational grants in New Mexico in 2018.
What is diabetes?
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Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy.
Your body breaks down most of the food you eat into sugar (glucose) and releases it into your bloodstream. When your blood sugar goes up, it signals your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin acts like a key to let the blood sugar into your body’s cells for use as energy.
With diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use it as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin – or cells stop responding to insulin – too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream. Over time, that can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
There isn’t a cure yet for diabetes, but losing weight, eating healthy food, and being active can really help.
Types of diabetes
TYPE 1: Is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake). This reaction stops your body from making insulin. Approximately 5-10% of the people who have diabetes have type 1. It’s usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults. If you have type 1 diabetes, you’ll need to take insulin every day to survive. Currently, no one knows how to prevent type 1 diabetes.
TYPE 2: Your body doesn’t use insulin well and can’t keep blood sugar at normal levels. About 90-95% of people with diabetes have type 2. It develops over many years and is usually diagnosed in adults (but more in children, teens, and young adults). You may not notice any symptoms, so it’s important to get your blood sugar tested if you’re at risk. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed with healthy lifestyle changes, such as: losing weight, eating healthy food and being active.
GESTATIONAL DIABETES: Develops in pregnant women who have never had diabetes. If you have gestational diabetes, your baby could be at higher risk for health problems. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after your baby is born. However, it increases your risk for type 2 diabetes later in life. Your baby is more likely to have obesity as a child or teen and develop type 2 diabetes later in life.
Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
Prevent or delay type 2 diabetes with proven, achievable lifestyle changes – such as losing a small amount of weight and getting more physically active. There is a good section on the CDC website about meal planning.
• More non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, and green beans.
• Fewer added sugars and refined grains, such as white bread, rice, and pasta with less than 2 grams of fiber per serving.
• Focus on whole foods instead of highly processed foods as much as possible. Highly processed foods are typically ready-to-eat with minimal additional preparation. If your meals are boxed and only require a microwave to prepare, your diet is likely high in highly processed food.
The New Mexico Diabetes Prevention and Control Program has classes statewide. In-person classes are limited, but distance learning is available from anywhere. https://www.pathstohealthnm.org/find-a-class/
Or call to register 505-850-0176 or 575-703-2343.
According to NMDOH’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), obesity rates climbed from about 26% to 31% in the last decade. In New Mexico, over a third (38.9%) of adults aged 45-65 are obese. This along with the rate of diabetes indicates we have work to do from individual changes to good public policy.
Sources: https://diabetes.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/ADV_2021_State_Fact_sheets_New%20Mexico_rev.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevent-type-2/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/managing/eat-well/meal-plan-method.html
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