Defeat Diabetes Month: Learn the unexpected risk factors

When thinking about risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, obesity is oftentimes the main one that comes to mind. While accurate, it’s not the only cause.

Every day, folks partake in seemingly normal habits that quietly increase their risk of developing diabetes, from staying up an extra hour (or three) scrolling TikTok to letting life’s stressors take over. During Defeat Diabetes Month, observed each April, it’s important to be aware of these silent risk factors and the simple ways to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Bernadett Boronea-Almasi, PharmD, who provides diabetes education at the St. Clare Pharmacy at St. Mary Medical Center, explains that, although sugar is essential for the body to have energy, certain habits cause a build-up in the body and increase diabetes risk. Boronea-Almasi breaks down some of the most common—and unexpected—contributors to Type 2 diabetes and easy steps toward wellness.

Bad sleep quality

Why it’s a risk factor: “Poor sleep, short sleep and irregular sleep patterns lead to higher sugar levels. Cortisol spikes, which increases cravings. Sometimes insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea are also risk factors.

The fix: “For some people, it’s difficult to get good sleep. Especially during the week, it can be more of a hectic sleep schedule. Anywhere you can add on even a couple hours can help to improve that sleep pattern. On the weekend if you can, taking that extra time to sleep in can be beneficial.”

Sitting for prolonged periods of time

Why it’s a risk factor: “If we’re sitting for prolonged periods of time, we’re not dispersing the sugar where it needs to go.”

The fix: “Light physical activity 30 to 60 minutes after meals helps reduce those post-meal sugar spikes that we have. Also, it just helps with sugar metabolism in our body. Even just a 15-minute walk can help.”

Stress

Why it’s a risk factor: “When our body is under stress, it’s this fight or flight that we’re experiencing. Our body’s releasing a lot of different hormones, especially when it’s prolonged stress. It signals to our liver, which has sugar stores, to spew out more sugar for energy. Chronic stress can also lead to persistent higher levels of sugar circulating in our blood and potentially lead to insulin resistance over time.”

The fix: “It’s important to find different ways to manage stress. It goes along with being a little bit active, too. If you’re feeling stressed out, taking a 15-minute walk and enjoying the fresh air might help with that stress relief, and also help move that sugar around in the body.”

Not eating well-balanced meals

Why it’s a risk factor: “When we’re really hungry, we tend to go straight for the carb. But if that’s how we start our meal, it causes a sugar spike.”

The fix: “If we go for a protein first and then incorporate the carb, our body works hard to digest that protein, so we’re not going to see that big sugar rush. This allows you to still enjoy your favorite foods while keeping your sugar levels under control. It’s all about finding balance. One of my patients loved eating pancakes, but he tried having a protein-rich omelet first. He only craved a little bit of the pancake and noticed he didn’t have a sugar spike.

Things like Greek yogurt, cottage cheese (which you can blend if you don’t like the texture) and hard-boiled eggs are great to incorporate. And having smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day helps put less strain on the pancreas to produce as much insulin than one big, high-carb meal at the end of the day.”

Boronea-Almasi stresses to her patients that they don’t have to be perfect or completely overhaul their life when it comes to implementing healthy changes. The best thing to do is start small. Walk around the block after dinner. Incorporate protein into one meal. Go to sleep 15 minutes earlier than usual. While these might not seem like massive achievements in the moment, small changes can make big differences in the long run.

According to Boronea-Almasi, it’s important to take these small steps toward a healthier lifestyle even if someone feels perfectly fine. They could be at high risk for diabetes and not know it.

“There aren’t any early warning signs. It’s pretty silent, which can make it scary. Once high sugars are persistent for longer periods of time, that’s when we can start to feel numbness or tingling in our fingers and toes, sometimes very low energy levels,” she says. “As it starts to progress, it’s that increased thirst and urination. Sometimes it’s blurry vision, slow healing of wounds, frequent infections. That’s when high sugars have already progressed.”

For anyone who has questions about their risk factors, ways to incorporate healthier practices, medication side effects or other concerns around diabetes, Boronea-Almasi invites them to speak with her at the St. Clare Pharmacy.

During Defeat Diabetes Month and beyond, she shares a vital reminder: “You don’t have to be perfect every day. It’s okay to enjoy things in life, but find ways to do it in moderation. Small changes will lead to a healthier lifestyle overall. Food is medicine.”

Visit St. Clare Retail Pharmacy at St. Mary Medical Center.