The 411 on Diabetes | AFC Urgent Care Memphis

Did you know? More than 34 million Americans have some type of diabetes, and millions more have prediabetes.

While the condition is incredibly common, it’s not always well understood, which is why our team at AFC Urgent Care Memphis wants to take a few minutes to talk through diabetes and how to prevent it.

What Is Diabetes?

So, first things first: What exactly is diabetes? Diabetes is a medical condition in which your blood glucose (often called blood sugar) level is too high.

There are multiple types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body doesn’t produce insulin, which is required to convert glucose into energy. This type of diabetes is often diagnosed in young children and teens.

Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is more often diagnosed in adults and is related to lifestyle in many cases. It occurs when the body doesn’t make or use insulin effectively.

There’s also another condition called prediabetes that is a precursor to Type 2 diabetes. It occurs when your blood sugar is elevated but not to the level of diabetes.

How Can I Prevent Diabetes?

While there are some diabetes risk factors you can’t control, such as family medical history, ethnicity and age, most other risk factors for Type 2 diabetes can be changed.

Living a healthy lifestyle can help you eliminate your risk factors and reduce your risk:

• Aim to exercise for at least 150 minutes each week, or about 30 minutes per day.
• Eat a balanced diet based on fruits and vegetables.
• Choose lean proteins and whole grains.
• If you have high blood pressure, take steps to lower it.
• Get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night.

We are still here for you! Visit the AFC Urgent Care Memphis website to schedule an AFC TeleCare visit, or stop by our office.