Why You Shouldn’t Wait

Source: Prevention Guide, Outsmart Diabetes, May 2006

Delaying Or Ignoring This Diabetes Turning Point Raises Your Risk For Other Health Problems

Complications such as heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and amputation are more likely if your diabetes treatment isn’t optimal. “The worst thing is when patients and physicians let fear or denial or false hope get in the way and wait until blood sugar is really high,” says Anne Peters, MD, director of the University of Southern California’s clinical diabetes program and author of Conquering Diabetes – A Cutting Edge Comprehensive Program for Prevention and Treatment.

In interviews with top diabetes experts, Outsmart Diabetes has learned that doctors – and people with type 2 diabetes – often bungle, misunderstand, or simply ignore the crucial moment when blood sugar tests reveal that diabetes is progressing. Research shows that while physicians know when it’s time to take action against high blood sugar, they may delay for years.

“If you wait too long, it could become difficult to get blood sugar back into a healthy range.” How it matters: High blood sugar (an A1c level above 7%) raises heart attack risk 25%, ups stroke risk 30%, and triples your odds of nerve damage in legs and feet.