Excess Weight and Diabetes
I have wondered whether my excess weight is causing me to be pre-diabetic. Sometimes, usually in the afternoon, I get very hungry and with that hunger is a nervousness which makes me very anxious to get food. I believe it is related to blood sugar levels. This condition has been developing over the last 10 years.
Today there is an article and study that answers many of my questions about the pre-diabetic condition. The research which involved two studies was presented at a meeting of the American Diabetics Association.
One study predicted that half of all Americans will develop a condition known as insulin resistance, a type of pre-diabetes that puts them at high risk of heart attacks, and another showed that high blood sugar alone made hospital patients much more likely to die of other conditions.
Curing insulin resistance alone would reduce heart attacks by 42 percent.
Normal blood glucose levels are 70 to 110 mg/dl, and anything higher is often considered insulin resistance or impaired fasting glucose.
The article concludes that diet and exercise is the place to start but also recommends drugs for those who cannot or will not lower cholesterol and high blood glucose with diet and exercise.
Personally, I hope that I am always able to use diet and exercise to stay healthy and avoid drugs whenever possible. I looked at my test results from a physical last year, I do have normal cholesterol and glucose levels.