Depression's Link To Diabetes

By: Elizabeth Radisson

Diabetes is now a disease that affects people not just North America wide, but worldwide. Many complications come with diabetes. Blindness, cardiovascular disease and kidney problems can all result from diabetes. Amputation of limbs may be a necessary result of diabetes is extreme cases. Studies have also linked early life depression as a contributor to adult diabetes.

Understanding why depression can lead to diabetes and other problems is important, as lifestyle changes are part of the solution in dealing with diabetes. Depression can lead to problems such as weight gain, poor eating habits, and decreased motivation for exercise. Eating healthy foods, monitoring body weight closely and getting adequate exercise are treatments for both diabetes and depression. Both may also require the use of medication in a comprehensive treatment plan.

Children and teenagers diagnosed with depression when they are young, typically become overweight as adults. Being overweight often leads to diabetes as an adult. Early prevention for adult diabetes involves monitoring and controlling for being overweight as a teenager and beyond. Research indicates that there is also a link between women with depression and anxiety disorder and an inflated body mass index (BMI) as compared to similar women that do not suffer from depression. This appears to be more typical for women than with men.

Patients treated for diabetes and depression often show no improvement. This is usually due to little or no change in diet and exercise improvements. These lifestyle changes can dramatically improve the symptoms of diabetes and depression. Diabetic patients that suffer from depression have twice the mortality rate of those who do not suffer from depression. The complications are numberous and include: heart disease, stroke, nerve damage, kidney and teeth and gum disease. Over 21 million Americans are noted as suffering with mostly Type 2 diabetes, directly resulting from obesity.

Diabetics with depression often take poor care of their health and are prone to smoke, drink alcohol, be overweight, not exercise and eat poorly. As the body's cells gradually loose sensitivity to insulin, blood sugar levels need to be controlled. Failure to do so can lead to early death. A recent clinical study shows that elderly patients with diabetes may respond positively to clinical intervention programs. Depressed diabetic patients are now believed to be hopeful candidates for successful clinical intervention programs.

Early warning signs for diabetes involve childhood depression and anxiety disorder. Healthy eating, proper nutrition and regular sleep will help to prevent and fight against diabetes. Reducing the consumption of refined sugars and having a fiber rich diet are important parts of healthy eating. It is important to be focused on the point that fighting diabetes and depression can be done using the same methods.


About the Author: Elizabeth Radisson is the editor of http://Diabetes.OurGoodHealth.org

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