Kaiser doctor busts myths about diabetes, explains ways to lower risk

MIKE: NOVEMEBER IS AMERICAN DIABETES MONTH. IT’S A CHANCE TO SHINE A LIGHT ON THE DIABETES EPIDEMIC THAT ONE IN 10 AMERICANS ARE DEALING WITH TODAY. HERE TO TALK ALL US ABOUT IT IS KAISER PERMANENT PHYSICIAN, DR. CHRIS STOKES. WHAT ARE WE SEEING IN CALIFORNIA? >> VERY SIMILAR NUMBERS, MIRRORING THE NATIONAL NUMBERS. WE MAY SEE HIGHER BECAUSE WE ARE A DIVERSE STATE. SOME OF THE RISK FACTORS FOR DIABETES INCLUDING BEING AFRICAN-AMERICAN, LATINO, ASIAN, SPECIFICALLY PACIFIC ISLANDER. BECAUSE WE ARE SUCH A DIVERSE POPULATION, IT MAY BE HIGHER. MIKE: AS FAR AS HEALTH PROBLEMS, WHAT HEALTH PROBLEMS DOES TYPE 2 DIABETES CAUSE? >> IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, THE AMOUNT OF DIABETES HAS DOUBLED, WHICH IS A LOT. COVID CONTRIBUTED TO THAT. EVERYONE PUT ON THEIR COVID WEIGHT. WE ARE SEEING A LOT, NATIONALLY AND LOCALLY. WE HAVE HAD TO ADJUST OUR APPROACH. MIKE: THESE ARE SOME OF THE HEALTH PROBLEMS CAUSED BY DIABETES. IT INCREASES THE RISK ALL THE WAY AROUND. >> DEFINITELY. DIABETES ITSELF IS THE SEVENTH NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE US IT IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATH, WHICH IS HEART DISEASE. NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF KIDNEY FAILURE, BLINDNESS, AMPUTATION OF EXTREMITIES. MIKE: MYTHS ABOUT EATING SUGAR CAUSING DIABETES OR BEING OFF LIMIT FOR DIABETICS. WHAT CAUSES TYPE 2 DIABETES? >> IT IS NOT TRUE. THERE ARE RISK FACTORS. RISK FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO DIABETES ARE A POOR DIET, SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE, BEING OVERWEIGHT. WE TALKED ABOUT THE ETHNICITY RISK FACTORS. FAMILY HISTORY CAN CONTRIBUTE. MOST IMPORTANT ARE THE LIFESTYLE RISK FACTORS WHICH IS SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE, POOR DIET AND BEING OVERWEIGHT. MIKE: THERE ARE WAYS YOU CAN LOWER YOUR RISK? >> DEFINITELY. REVERSE THOSE RISK FACTORS BY EXERCISING MORE THAN THREE TIMES A WEEK, WORKING ON WEIGHT CONTROL, ADAPTING A GOOD AND HEALTHY DIET. MIKE: MAINTAINING BLOOD PRESSURE. THAT IS A CLEAR SIGNAL? >> PATIENTS THAT HAVE HIGH BLOOD SUGAR AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS TO THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATH, WHICH IS HEART DISEASE. MIKE: THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

Kaiser doctor busts myths about diabetes, explains ways to lower risk

Updated: 2:30 PM PDT Nov 4, 2022

It’s National Diabetes Awareness Month and a chance to shine a light on the diabetes epidemic that 1 in 10 Americans are dealing with today. Kaiser Permanente physician Dr. Chris Stokes joined KCRA 3 to talk about the disease and bust myths. He said that in the last 10 years the amount of diabetes has almost doubled, and people gaining weight during the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t help. Stokes said those who think they can never have sugar is a myth. “The risk factors that really contribute to diabetes are a really poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight,” he said, while also citing certain ethnicity and family history risk factors. Ways to reduce the risk factor include exercise, healthy eating with plant-based meals, weight loss, and quitting smoking. See more in the video above. Click here to read more information about myths from the American Diabetes Association.

It’s National Diabetes Awareness Month and a chance to shine a light on the diabetes epidemic that 1 in 10 Americans are dealing with today.

Kaiser Permanente physician Dr. Chris Stokes joined KCRA 3 to talk about the disease and bust myths.

He said that in the last 10 years the amount of diabetes has almost doubled, and people gaining weight during the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t help.

Stokes said those who think they can never have sugar is a myth.

“The risk factors that really contribute to diabetes are a really poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight,” he said, while also citing certain ethnicity and family history risk factors.

Ways to reduce the risk factor include exercise, healthy eating with plant-based meals, weight loss, and quitting smoking.

See more in the video above.

Click here to read more information about myths from the American Diabetes Association.