American Medical Association Guide to Living with Diabetes

Boyd E. Metzger

Description

More Than 3 Million American Medical Association Books Sold

From America's Most Trusted Health Authority, the Ultimate Guide to Understanding, Preventing, and Managing Type 2 Diabetes

Millions of Americans have type 2 diabetes, and millions more are at risk of developing the disease. The good news is that it is both preventable and treatable. In the American Medical Association Guide to Living with Diabetes you'll learn everything you need to know to prevent type 2 diabetes, take control of it if you already have it, and reduce your risk of life-threatening complications.

This book provides clear, easy-to-understand explanations of what type 2 diabetes is, what causes it, and how to determine if you are at risk. You'll find a detailed, easy-to-follow program for preventing diabetes by eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. If you are living with diabetes, this invaluable guide offers in-depth explanations of the recommended lifestyle changes that can help you manage the disease, stressing the importance of rigorous testing and control of your blood sugar to avoid complications. You will learn about the available medications for treating diabetes and about alternative and complementary therapies. The book also includes sections on gestational diabetes and the increasing threat that type 2 diabetes poses to at-risk children. By following the recommendations and guidelines in the American Medical Association Guide to Living with Diabetes, you can reduce or eliminate the symptoms, avoid or minimize the risk of serious complications, and become more physically fit, energetic, and alert. In fact, there's no reason you can't be healthier than you've ever been.
Introduction.

Part One: Type 2 Diabetes: A Modern Epidemic.

1. What Is Diabetes?

2. Are You at Risk?

Part Two: Preventing Type 2 Diabetes.

3. Maintaining a Healthy Weight.

4. Nutrition Basics for Staying Healthy.

5. Exercise Your Way to Better Health.

Part Three: Diagnosing and Treating Type 2 Diabetes.

6. How Do You Know If You Have Diabetes?

7. Reaching a Healthy Weight.

8. Eating a Healthy Diet.

9. Your Exercise Regimen.

10. Medication and Blood Sugar Testing.

11. Experimental Treatments and Special Situations.

Part Four: Complications of Diabetes.

12. Acute Complications.

13. Chronic Complications.

Part Five: Diabetes in Children.

14. Type 2 Diabetes in Children.

Part Six: Diabetes during Pregnancy.

15. Gestational Diabetes.

Glossary.

Index.

Sujets

• Santé et bien-être
• Santé du quotidien
• Santé au quotidien
• Santé au quotidien
• Fitness
• Diabetes
• American Medical Association
• Health
• American Dietetic Association
• Asociación Médica Estadounidense
• Diseases

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 18 mai 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780470435571
• Langue: English

Extrait

American Medical Association
Guide to Living with Diabetes
American Medical Association
Guide to Living with Diabetes
Preventing and Treating Type 2 Diabetes- Essential Information You and Your Family Need to Know
American Medical Association Boyd E. Metzger, M.D.

John Wiley Sons, Inc.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright 2006 by the American Medical Association. All rights reserved
Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
Design and composition by Navta Associates, Inc.
Credits: Bar graph on insulin sensitivity adapted from the work of Richard N. Bergman, Ph.D: 11; National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health: 184; PhotoDisc: 72, 177; Thinkstock/PunchStock: 116 (right); USDA photos by Ken Hammond: 116 (left), 198, 225, and 244.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com . Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions .
The recommendations and information in this book are appropriate in most cases and current as of the date of publication. For more specific information about a medical condition, the AMA suggests that you consult a physician.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The information contained in this book is not intended to serve as a replacement for professional medical advice. Any use of the information in this book is at the reader s discretion. The author and the publisher specifically disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from the use or application of any information contained in this book. A health care professional should be consulted regarding your specific situation.
For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at [phone], outside the United States at [phone] or fax [phone].
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com .
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
The American Medical Association guide to living with diabetes : essential information you and your family need to know about preventing and treating type 2 diabetes / American Medical Association.
p. cm
Includes index.
ISBN-13 978-0-471-75023-9 (cloth)
ISBN-10 0-471-75023-9 (cloth)
1. Non insulin-dependent diabetes-Popular works. I. American Medical Association.
RC662.18.A44 2006
616.4 62-dc22
2006005496
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Michael D. Maves, MD, MBA Executive Vice President, Chief Executive Officer Bernard L. Hengesbaugh Chief Operating Officer Robert A. Musacchio, PhD Senior Vice President, Publishing and Business Services Anthony J. Frankos Vice President, Business Products Mary Lou White Executive Director, Editorial and Operations Boyd E. Metzger, MD Medical Editor Donna Kotulak Managing Editor/Writer Pam Brick Writer Mary Ann Albanese Art Editor
Contents
Introduction
PART ONE Type 2 Diabetes: A Modern Epidemic
1 What Is Diabetes?
2 Are You at Risk?
PART TWO Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
3 Maintaining a Healthy Weight
4 Nutrition Basics for Staying Healthy
5 Exercise Your Way to Better Health
PART THREE Diagnosing and Treating Type 2 Diabetes
6 How Do You Know If You Have Diabetes?
7 Reaching a Healthy Weight
8 Eating a Healthy Diet
9 Your Exercise Regimen
10 Medication and Blood Sugar Testing
11 Experimental Treatments and Special Situations
PART FOUR Complications of Diabetes
12 Acute Complications
13 Chronic Complications
PART FIVE Diabetes in Children
14 Type 2 Diabetes in Children
PART SIX Diabetes during Pregnancy
15 Gestational Diabetes
Glossary
Index
Introduction
More than 19 million Americans have diabetes-a condition that can produce life-threatening complications. Of the two major forms of diabetes-type 1 and type 2-type 2 comprises 90 to 95 percent of all cases in the United States. An additional 13 million people have the precursor to type 2 diabetes, called prediabetes. Worldwide, type 2 diabetes affects more than 190 million people, and some experts predict that if the current trends continue that figure could surge to over 300 million by the year 2025.
Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States, and annual diabetes-related medical costs total more than $100 billion. The predicted future increase in the number of cases is fueled by several factors. Americans are becoming increasingly sedentary and overweight; being overweight is the major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Age is another factor-most cases of type 2 diabetes develop after age 45. In addition, Hispanic Americans and other minority groups who have a high incidence of type 2 diabetes make up the fastest-growing segment of the US population.
The good news is that type 2 diabetes can often be prevented, mainly by eating a healthy and balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and keeping your weight within a healthy range. If you are overweight, losing just 5 to 7 percent of your weight (that s 10 to 14 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds) and keeping it off can cut your risk in half.
If you already have diabetes, close monitoring of your blood sugar levels along with healthy eating and regular exercise can help you manage your condition and avoid serious complications. Even small changes in your lifestyle can produce big health benefits. This book is designed to help you learn how to make those changes in your daily life that can help you avoid type 2 diabetes or, if you have type 2 diabetes, maintain good control of it and reduce your risk of complications.
PART ONE
Type 2 Diabetes: A Modern Epidemic
1
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a medical disorder that affects the way the body uses food for growth and energy. When you eat, the carbohydrates (starches and sugars) are broken down into glucose, a simple sugar that is one of the main sources of fuel for your body. As food is digested, glucose gets absorbed into the bloodstream, which transports it throughout the body. Muscle and fat cells respond to signals from a circulating hormone in the blood called insulin, which is the key that unlocks the doors of these cells to enable glucose to enter and do its work. People who have diabetes either don t have enough insulin or their cells have become insensitive, or resistant, to the effects of insulin. As a result, glucose doesn t get into the cells and it begins to build up in the blood. This buildup of glucose in the blood is the hallmark of diabetes.
Previously known as adult-onset or non-insulin-dependent diabetes, type 2 diabetes used to develop almost exclusively in people who were over age 40 and overweight. Over the past decade, however, the number of children and young adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the United States has climbed dramatically because of the growing epidemic of obesity that often begins in childhood.
The high blood sugar concentration brought on by both forms of diabetes can cause serious long-term complications such as nerve damage, heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and amputation. An uncontrolled blood sugar level can also cause severe short-term complications such as loss of consciousness, and can even be fatal. Many people with type 2 diabetes can control their blood sugar with diet, exercise, and weight loss, but some need to take sugar-lowering medications or insulin injections.
Type l Diabetes
Although the major concern of this book is type 2 diabetes, which is far more common than type 1 diabetes, it is helpful to understand the difference between the two forms. People with type 1 diabetes completely lose the ability to produce the hormone insulin. The specialized beta cells in the pancreas stop generating enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels normal. This type of diabetes can begin at any age but is most often diagnosed in young people. The peak time of onset is between ages 8 and 18.

The Endocrine System
The endocrine system is a group of glands and tissues shown here that secrete hormones into the bloodstream to coordinate and control many essential body processes. The pancreas is the organ most involved in diabetes because its most important job is to regulate blood sugar (glucose) levels. The pancreas produces the hormones insulin and glucagon (which regulate the body s use of glucose, fats, and proteins). The pancreas also secretes digestive enzymes that help break down food and convert it into glucose. The pituitary is the master gland that makes hormones that control several other endocrine glands. The hypothalamus, just above the pituitary gland in the brain, controls hormone secretion by the pituitary and is the main link between the endocrine and nervous systems. The thyroid gland produces the hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine, which control the rate at which cells burn fuel for energy. The four parathyroid glands release parathyroid hormone, which helps regulate the level of calcium in the blood. The adrenal glands produce hormones including corticosteroids (which influence metabolism and the body s response to stress) and epinephrine, or adrena