If you’ve found this blog, you may have family, friends, or even yourself that has been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). So, what now? A health care professional has probably recommended to start exercising and eating well by now, which we know, but why?  

What is Type II Diabetes?  

• Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic condition when your pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin, or your body doesn’t respond to insulin efficiently resulting in hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).  

• You may have noticed an increase of blood sugar levels when eating too many foods rich in carbohydrates. Too high of blood sugar levels over many years can increase the risk of the pancreas producing insulin inefficiently resulting in T2DM. 

Fasting Blood Sugar Monitoring 

• Monitoring blood sugar with a device and finger stick is one of the most common methods individuals choose to use.  

• Normal fasting blood sugars should be less than 5.6mmol/L, a level between 5.6 – 6.9mmol/L indicate prediabetes, and a level of 7.0mmol/L or above may indicate risk of diabetes. 

• The most common forms of treatment for diabetes include medication, dietary management, and increased physical activity.  

Statistics 

• Approximately 1.2 million Australians were living with T2DM in 2021. 

• Males are 1.3 times more likely to develop T2DM than females. 

• The prevalence of T2DM is slowly increasing each year, an estimated 1 in 20 individuals being diagnosed in 2022 according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 

Diabetes Myths 

• “My parents had diabetes, so I’ll have diabetes too” is a misconception many believe resulting in a lack of effort to manage diet and exercise behaviors. It is true family history may increase the risk of developing diabetes; however, this does not guarantee you’ll get it and certainly does not mean you should give up on a healthy lifestyle.  

• “No one in my family has diabetes, therefore I can eat unhealthy foods without consequences”. This is essentially the opposite of the above, although your risk of developing diabetes due to your parents being undiagnosed is higher, this does not mean you can binge eat foods without consequence. Moral of the story, diabetes is not to be taken lightly, and regardless of the health status of family members, you should always be cautious about what you put in your mouth.   

• “I’m not overweight, I shouldn’t have diabetes” is another myth many believe which simply is not true. You’d be correct in thinking being overweight is a risk factor in developing this condition, however as we’ve mentioned, a cocktail of other factors play a huge role in development of T2DM.  

There are multiple causes of T2DM including: 

• Genetics  

• Family history 

• Age 

• Ethnicity 

• Poor dietary choices 

• Lack of exercise 

• Other diagnosed conditions 

Signs & Symptoms 

If you have a family history of type II diabetes and experience any of these symptoms, please consult with your GP: 

• Increased thirst 

• Frequent urination 

• Unexplained weight loss 

• Fatigue 

• Blurred vision 

• Numbness in hands or feet 

Why is physical activity so important? 

• Physical activity of any form can help with reducing blood sugar levels in the long term. This can be done by performing cardiovascular and resistance exercise to increase muscle mass and use stored glucose from the muscles and improve the efficiency of insulin produced. Therefore, the more muscle you have, the more glucose can be stored within the muscles and be used during movement doing physical activities such as gardening, walking the dog, cleaning the house less physically demanding.  

• Engaging in at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week (if not all) is recommended in conjunction with strength training twice per week. If this doesn’t seem realistic to you, it’s important to START SMALL. For example, walking or swimming for 15 minutes for the first few weeks, gradually increasing the time of activity. 

If you would like more information and/or struggling to start exercising. Contact Achieve Exercise Physiologists on 07 4723 2495 (Townsville) OR 07 38 242 090 (Brisbane)