Diabetes is often referred to as the silent killer, and we want to highlight how diabetes can impact your health. Diabetes impact approximately 10% of Americans and Canadians, and studies show that the numbers are growing at an alarming rate. It is estimated that one in three U.S. children born in the year 2000 and onward will develop diabetes.

So what can we do to ensure that our future generations are safe from this chronic health condition? Please keep reading to learn about what diabetes is, how it occurs in the body, who is affected by it, and prevention tips. We also explore the relationship that calcium plays in diabetes and how to integrate this into your daily routine to live a healthy lifestyle with optimal bone health.

WHAT IS DIABETES?

Diabetes is a metabolic health condition that affects how our bodies transform the foods we eat into growth and energy. When we consume food, it is broken down into sugar (glucose) through digestion. This increases our blood sugar levels and sends a signal to the pancreas to release the insulin hormone. Insulin is a vital hormone our bodies need as it helps convert glucose into energy for your tissues, muscles and healthy brain function.

For people with diabetes, their body cannot process insulin normally either because the body produces too little insulin or the body does not respond to the insulin that is present. As a result of this, there is an influx of blood sugar in the bloodstream which can cause extreme health problems over time including heart disease, nerve damage, loss of vision, Alzheimer’s, depression, and kidney disease. Health professionals continue to search for a cure for diabetes but are yet to discover an effective treatment. Until then, there are steps you can take to prevent diabetes and ways to reduce the impact that it has on your life.

TYPES OF DIABETES

There are three different types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes

Caused by an autoimmune reaction, Type 1 diabetes is when the body produces little or no insulin. The body continues to break down carbohydrates into glucose but as there is no insulin present it can’t enter the cells as it should to give us the energy we need. Blood sugar levels increase due to a build-up of glucose in the bloodstream, causing type 1 diabetes to appear. Type 1 diabetes can appear at any age, however, it typically appears in children and young adults. Approximately 5-10% of the people who have diabetes have type 1 and symptoms develop relatively quickly. Living with type 1 diabetes means that you need to take insulin every day to survive.

Risk factors for type 1 diabetes：

Type 2 diabetes

In type 2 diabetes the body doesn’t respond to the insulin that it already has and it is unable to regulate blood sugar levels. A shocking 90-95% of people living with diabetes have type 2 and as symptoms aren’t obvious it often goes undiagnosed. That's why it’s important to stay on top of your blood sugar levels by having health checkups to make sure you are not at risk. As it develops over time, type 2 diabetes is more common in older individuals and those who are overweight and inactive.

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes:

GESTATIONAL DIABETES

Pregnant women can suffer from what is known as Gestational diabetes. It’s a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy and can increase health risks for the baby. Even though this usually disappears after the baby is born, it increases the mother’s chance of both mother and baby developing type 2 diabetes later in life. 

Risk factors for Gestational Diabetes:

STATISTIC FOR DIABETES 

Let’s look at the statistics:

SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES

Common symptoms of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are:

PREVENTION OF DIABETES 

As World Diabetes Day 2021 focuses on the prevention of diabetes, we have shared some lifestyle tips for optimal diabetes control and bone health:

PREDIABETES

Prediabetes is a metabolic health condition caused by blood sugar levels that are not yet high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes but are higher than normal. There are 22 million American adults, that’s 1 in 3, living with prediabetes and what’s shocking about these facts is that 84% of them are not even aware that they have it! The good news is that if you discover that you have it there are ways to reverse it and prevent your body from developing type 2 diabetes.

THE LINK BETWEEN DIABETES AND BONE HEALTH

Research has proven that individuals with diabetes are at a higher risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis. Why is this you may ask, and how can we prevent it?🤔

People with diabetes, especially type 1 diabetes, are at a higher risk of fracture due to low bone density. As this chronic health condition progresses over time, the lack of blood glucose control and intake of insulin increases the likelihood of experiencing a fracture. If type 1 diabetes shows up in a person's body at a young age, this has a huge impact on bone mass and prevents it from reaching its optimal health. In turn , this can lead to osteoporosis later in life. Women with type 1 diabetes are 12 times more likely to experience a fracture than those without diabetes and this number increases as the years go by.

Looking after our bodies comes naturally to us but what can we do to ensure that we are taking care of our bone health to prevent these issues from arising? Let’s begin by looking at what influences our bone health: Calcium, vitamin D, cortisol, and low estrogen levels. Individuals with diabetes lack Vitamin D which is a key nutrient for the absorption of calcium. We all know that calcium takes care of our bones and bone density so if we are not getting enough of this we will experience bone health issues such as osteoporosis. We know what this leads to…you guessed it, broken bones!

As we mentioned before, when insulin isn’t present in the body (type 1 diabetes) or the body doesn't use the insulin as it should (type 2 diabetes) there will be a build-up of blood glucose levels which in turn leads to chronic inflammation. This has a direct impact on bone health which shows the importance that calcium has on diabetes. Women who consumed ≥1,200 mg/day total calcium had a 21% lower risk for development of incident diabetes compared with women who consumed <600 mg/day.

Studies show that supplementation of both calcium and vitamin D are beneficial for optimizing glucose metabolism and improving insulin sensitivity.

SO HOW MUCH CALCIUM DO YOU NEED?

For women and men between the ages of 19 and 51, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for calcium is 1,000 milligrams (mg) per day. This recommendation increases to 1,200 mg for women aged 51 and older and men 71 and older, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

MARAH-CEL: LOOK AFTER YOUR BONES!

Are you getting enough calcium in your diet? No worries if not, that’s what we are here for! Here at Marah Natural, we understand the importance of calcium in the body and that’s why we have created our Marah-Cel to make looking after your bone health, well, easy!

Marah Natural's SAC Formulation Technology is a physiologically active ionic calcium that is safe to use. Made from sustainably harvested oyster shells, sourced locally in British Columbia, it is nature’s answer to increasing your body’s calcium level naturally.

People with diabetes lack Vitamin D which is a key nutrient for the absorption of calcium. Inorder to maintain calcium homeostasis and keep your bones strong and healthy, you’ll need to replenish your calcium supply using Marah Natural.

Marah-Cel: Marah Natural’s Marah-Cel includes the highest purity of SAC Formulation Technology. The high potency of SAC Formulation Technology releases calcium ions and initiates the bone-building and repair process, reducing the concentration of substances and pathogens, and leading to a reduction in calcium secretion from the bones.

Adding this into your daily routine will ensure that you can stay on top of your bone help and prevent diabetes and osteoporosis from developing later in life. Choose health, choose Marah Natural.