BOISE, Idaho — Diabetes is on the rise, but the good news is Idaho has a lower incidence, and today we look at why and what we can do to make it even lower.
When you live in a state as rich in outdoor activities as Idaho, there are benefits besides the obvious.
Dr. Daniel Meltzer says Idahoans penchant for getting outdoors keeps diabetes down.
“About 12 percent of all Americans are affected by diabetes. The good news is Idahoans are a little better, just under ten percent. But in general, lots of people have diabetes,” said Dr. Meltzer.
You’ve probably heard that diabetes can cause blindness and lead to amputations in extreme circumstances. But you may not have known why. It affects the body at the microscopic level.
“So it increases risks of basically microvascular disease — tearing, clots, decreased blood flow. It effectively impairs the blood flow,” said Dr. Meltzer.
Prevention starts with not smoking, but there’s more.
“Reducing complex carbohydrates and reducing fatty foods, for example reducing fast foods and overly processed foods and then exercising, more cardio aerobic and even anaerobic activity,” said Dr. Meltzer.
The modern advancement in GLP-1 medications can help as well.
“We know that GLP-1’s are very effective for diabetes and their primary indication through CDC is for the prevention of diabetes. They are very effective at helping manage type 2 diabetes,” said Dr. Meltzer.
Smoking is a big cause of diabetes. But what about vaping? There are not many studies, but early research suggests vaping is just as harmful as cigarettes.
