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Dear Dish-It: Type 2 Diabetes

Jun 14, 2012

Dear Dish-It,

My mom has type 2 diabetes; will she ever get better?

Bob

Dealing with Diabetes

Dear Bob,

I’m sorry to hear about your mom. Having type 2 diabetes is tough, but the more you know about your mom’s disease, the better you will be able to help her deal with it.

All About Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose, which is the main type of sugar in our blood. After we eat food, our body breaks it down into glucose and other nutrients, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream. As the level of glucose in our blood rises, it triggers our pancreas to make something called insulin, which helps our cells absorb the glucose. But in people with type 2 diabetes, the body doesn’t respond to insulin properly. The result is all that glucose stays in the bloodstream and the level of sugar remains higher than normal, making the pancreas work overtime to produce even more insulin. Eventually, the pancreas can wear out and may no longer be able to produce enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels normal. This can cause a lot of health problems.

Fighting Type 2 Diabetes

While there is no “cure” for the disease, people with type 2 diabetes can use diet, exercise and medicines that improve their body’s response to insulin to control their blood sugar levels. Your mom’s doctor has probably already told her that it’s important to eat healthy and exercise regularly to maintain a normal body weight, and to monitor her blood sugar level closely. If you’re curious about what you can do to help your mom manage her disease, I’m sure that your doctor would be more than happy to give you information about diabetes.