As you’re hitting the gym and avoiding fast food in your battle against the bulge this New Year, you could also be decreasing your risk of diabetes, a Medical College of Georgia nurse practitioner says.

“Diabetes is a growing problem and many people are blaming fast food, but people can eat sensibly even at fast-food restaurants,” says Dr. Saundra Turner, director of the MCG School of Nursing’s Doctorate of Nursing Practice and Nurse Practitioner programs.

“The culprit seems to be larger portion sizes along with lack of exercise. When we consume more calories than we burn, then we gain weight. When our bodies weigh more than our system can handle, we go into overload.”

“Overload” is the body’s inability to produce enough insulin to reduce sugar levels after eating too much. Because food is converted into sugar for energy, sugar levels in the body peak after even normal-sized meals. The pancreas produces insulin to “digest” that sugar and bring levels back down.

Normal glucose measurements for healthy adults are between 80 and 100 milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood. Adult onset diabetes is diagnosed when those measurements exceed 200 milligrams per deciliter in any random test.

“When we eat, our sugar rises for about two hours, then drops back down to our body’s maintenance level,” Dr. Turner says. “Most specialists would be concerned about damage to major organs if there are long-standing blood sugars higher than 128-140. Excess sugar molecules stick to red blood cells and, as they circulate in the bloodstream, they damage the inside of the blood vessels. They do the most damage to the tiny vessels in the eyes, heart, kidneys and in the nerves in the feet. And since bacteria feed on sugar, any infection becomes worse when someone has high blood sugar.”

Diabetes isn’t usually fatal, she says, but its complications, including heart disease, stroke and kidney disease, can be.

A common problem is that without regular glucose-level testing, people may not even know they have the disease.

“Many people have diabetes for five years or more before they start to develop symptoms,” Dr. Turner says. “It is important to have your sugar level checked periodically and frequently if you are at high risk. The longer the level is above normal, the greater damage that can be done to the body.”

Diabetes risk factors include a family history and a body mass index over 30. Body mass index is the measure of body fat based on height and weight.

Diabetes is usually treated with prescription medicines that lower glucose measurements, but those medications can have side effects.

“The body responds by trying to raise sugar levels and getting hungry,” Dr. Turner says. “This often starts a vicious cycle that results in needing even more medications, and the person becoming even heavier.”

The best strategy to beat diabetes, she says, is prevention.

“By making healthy choices about food and tracking glucose measurements, people can often avoid getting the disease in the first place.”

Medical College of Georgia