How Long Can Someone Live with Sugar Diabetes?

Diabetics do not have an expiration label stamped anywhere on their bodies. Your length and quality of your life as a diabetic may have to do with the way you manage your disease. Learning everything you can about diabetes and applying what you know can extend your life expectancy.

Time Frame

• Diabetic education, glucose testing and medications have increased the lifespans of most diabetics. The diagnosis of diabetes may cause you to feel like you have no control, but this disease is controlled by how you choose to manage your life. You can do simple things to make your life healthier and more enjoyable.

Considerations

• Blood sugar levels that are not controlled do damage to every part of your body. Managing your health can stop or reverse the damage.

  Know your numbers. Know your blood pressure, A1C, triglycerides, Vitamin D, thyroid levels and recommended healthy weight. Regular appointments with your doctor or diabetic specialist will keep you accountable and on the correct medications. Monitoring your blood glucose levels on a regular basis (at your doctor's recommendation) and losing weight can lower your blood sugar to a healthy level and reverse the damage caused by diabetes.

Warning

• It cannot be said too much: Keep your blood sugar levels under control. Too much glucose in your blood for along time can cause blood vessel and nerve damage. Lose weight. Losing 5% to 10% of your body weight can substantially lower your blood sugar. Eating on a regular schedule the right amount of carbohydrates will help you keep you glucose levels stable. Use your medications correctly, make good food choices and stay active. Just 30 minutes of walking a day is proven to lower blood glucose immediately after the exercise.

Prevention/Solution

• The American Diabetes Association recommends three simple eating guidelines to get started.

  Aim for 5-6 daily servings of bread, cereal and starch. One of the nicest things newly diagnosed diabetics discover is that you are supposed to eat carbs and starches to keep your blood glucose at a healthy level.

  Eat five a day. Five fruits and vegetables is the daily recommendation for everyone, for a diabetic these filling foods will keep you satisfied. Once you start incorporating five a day, you will lose your task for the high fat, high sugar snacks that raise your blood sugar. Eating healthy habitually will change your desires--you may actually crave a healthy salad instead of a donut.

  You can eat your favorite sweet treats, but in moderation and within your daily carb intake allowance. New studies are discovering the importance of Vitamin D to diabetics and life expectancy. Your doctor can perform a quick test when you get your A1C drawn. It is estimated that almost 40% of adults are vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D deficiency does not only harm older bones, it also affects the way insulin is absorbed.

Expert Insight

• As a diabetic you can shorten your life by not taking care of yourself. You must be the expert in your life. Use your doctor as your partner, but you are the one with the insight about your body and only you can make the decision to take care of yourself on a daily basis, and to tell the doctor when you're not feeling right. Know your body and share what you are feeling with your doctor. You are in charge and can determine, to a certain extent, the number of your days.