The ABC’s of Diabetes and how to stay as healthy as possible if you have it.
Information reviewed by Dr. Adam Harris
Managing Diabetes - The Basics
Oscar Medical Group's Dr. Stephanie Reznick explains the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.What can I do to stay as healthy as possible if I have diabetes?If you have diabetes, very often it is associated with several other high risk conditions including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity, which together is called “Metabolic Syndrome”. If you have Metabolic Syndrome, the most important thing you can do is to control your "ABCs":
- "A" stands for "A1C" – A1C is a blood test that shows what your average blood sugar level has been during the last few months.
- "B" stands for "blood pressure" – If you have diabetes, controlling your blood pressure is just as important as controlling your blood sugar. High blood pressure puts you at risk for heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.
- "C" stands for "cholesterol" – Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in the blood. High cholesterol is another factor that increases your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious problems.
- Eye diseases that could lead to vision loss or blindness
- Kidney disease
- Nerve damage (called "neuropathy") that can cause numbness or pain in the hands and feet
- Limb and/or digit amputations
- A1C levels below 7 percent
- Blood pressure below 130/80, or lower in some cases
- LDL cholesterol level below 100 (LDL is one type of cholesterol, often called the "bad cholesterol" or "lousy cholesterol"), and HDL cholesterol above 40 (often called “good cholesterol)”
- Medications – Most people with diabetes take medication every day to control their blood sugar. They might also need to check their blood sugar level every day or multiple times a day. For patients who have difficulty controlling their blood sugar with oral medications, they may need to inject insulin at home as well. Also, many people with diabetes need medications every day to treat high blood pressure or high cholesterol to prevent future health problems. If you have any problems with your medications, or you cannot afford them, schedule time to talk to your doctor or nurse about these issues. Click here to schedule an appointment with your Virtual Primary Care provider.
- Lifestyle changes – Choices you make every day about the foods you eat and the way you live can have a big impact on your ABCs and your general health. Here are some things you can do to help keep your ABCs under control or reduce your health risks:
- Make healthy food choices – Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. Limit the amount of meat and fried or fatty foods that you eat and avoid sugary drinks. Also, it’s very important to limit salt intake which can increase blood pressure. For more tips check out this video by Faith Aguilar, RN on healthy eating and portion control.
- Be active – Walk, garden, or do something active for 30 minutes or more on most days of the week. Also, after consulting with your doctor that it’s safe to exercise, aim for 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise three times a week.
- Stop smoking – Smoking increases the chance that you will have a heart attack or stroke, or develop cancer.
- Lose weight – Being overweight increases the risk of many health problems. To learn more about how to manage your weight watch this video featuring Dr. Michael Hoaglin who talks through setting SMART goals to manage your BMI.
- Avoid alcohol – Alcohol can increase blood sugar and blood pressure.
Schedule your A1C test
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