Question

I have been diagnosed with diabetes but do not have to take medicine for it. Does that mean it is not serious and I can forget that I have it?

Answer

Just because you do not take medicine for your diabetes, does not mean that your diabetes can be forgotten.. The avoidance of complications and the ease of treatment may depend on it being taken seriously. It's your body, and the only one you are going to have, and so it's worth looking after. If you don't bother who else should?

Diabetes is a disorder of carbohydrate handling by the body, caused by a lack of insulin activity. Insulin comes from the pancreas, which is a gland behind the stomach. Some diabetic patients are insulin-requiring (they need insulin injections). Most older diabetics do not require insulin injections. Many older people have a latent diabetic state, which is made overt by some stressful situation, such as an operation or an illness. Once the stressful situation has passed, the diabetic state may return to its previous hidden state, but often there has been a permanent change in circumstances in the person, and the diabetes stays obvious. Blood sugar levels are related to food, and are lower if the person is fasting, or if they are taken before a meal. Values 160-200 mg/dL after food are reasonable.

You still need to decrease your insulin requirements, even if you do not require insulin injections. What should you do? A healthy diet is important, with calorie restriction if you are overweight. Protein intake should be 0.8g/kg body weight, and fat should be less than 30% of your total calories, with an emphasis on polyunsaturated fats. About 30g of fibre each day is good. A dietician would be able to advise you about your diet. Secondly, exercise is good for many reasons not all of which are related to diabetes, but exercising muscle requires less insulin to take up glucose than non-exercising muscle. Thirdly, if you are overweight, weight reduction is essential. Finally, if your blood sugars do not respond to the above, you will need tablets, but your doctor will advise you here.