Many men wonder why they should even care about diabetes. People are born with the condition, right? So if I don’t have the condition when I’m born I’m not going to get it at all. That’s simply not true. There are multiple types of diabetes, including Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational. Type 1 is also called juvenile diabetes. This is the condition children and teens are born with and often require a lifetime of medication and a controlled diet. Type 2 is developed later in life as a result of one of more lifestyle choices or biological changes. Typically, type 2 diabetes is diagnosed in overweight or obese individuals who live an inactive lifestyle. Gestational diabetes occurs only in pregnant women.

Men and Diabetes: Risk Factors
The risk factors for type 2 diabetes are the same in men and women. Type 2 diabetes develops in the adult years. Often, the patient is overweight or obese and chooses not to or cannot exercise on a regular basis. Other risk factors include:

• Consuming a diet high in simple carbohydrates like sugar
• Family history of type 2 diabetes
• Ethnicity – African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics and Pacific Islanders are at higher risk of diabetes than other ethnicities

Diabetes: What is It?
With so much talk about diabetes being one of the leading causes of preventable death, some men have no idea what the condition actually is. Diabetes is a condition that occurs when the body is unable to react correctly to blood glucose rises and falls. Normally, the body breaks down carbohydrates and insulin shows all that glucose where to go. In the diabetic, the insulin part does not work quite right and glucose can build up in the body or too much insulin is released and insulin builds up.

How to Treat Diabetes in Men
Talk with your physician about the best possible treatment for your diabetes. In some cases, changes in diet and exercise habits are enough to control diabetes without medications. In other cases, patients use lifestyle changes in partnership with medications to control blood glucose response. In both instances, the patient will be required to monitor blood glucose levels throughout the day and response to highs and lows accordingly. Maintaining high blood glucose for an extended time can lead to impaired vision, damaged blood vessels, stroke, heart disease and other medical conditions. If a patient lives too long with uncontrolled diabetes it could lead to early death.