Type 2 Diabetes

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT Type 2 Diabetes

What Is Type 2 Diabetes?

Managing your blood sugar is one of the most important things you can do to support your health, and achieve weight loss, if that is one of your goals.

When you eat high sugar foods or processed carbohydrates (also referred to as high Glycemic Index or high Glycemic Load foods), the body breaks down the carbohydrates in those foods (or beverages) and turns it into glucose. High levels of sugar in the blood (blood glucose) are dangerous, and so your body responds by triggering the pancreas to release insulin to remove this sugar safely out of the blood and store it in the cells.

Type 2 Diabetes is a serious condition where the insulin your pancreas makes can’t work properly, or your pancreas can’t make enough insulin. It is considered a metabolic disease that accounts for 90-95% of cases of diabetes, and is often associated with obesity.

Our team of Diabetes nutritionists and Diabetes dietitians can help to support you in managing your Type 2 Diabetes using dietary and lifestyle modifications, personalised to you and your needs.

Characteristics of Type 2 Diabetes:

High Blood Glucose Levels – When testing blood glucose levels, it is important that both fasting blood glucose as well as post-meal blood glucose levels are assessed. This is because, some people with Type 2 Diabetes have normal fasting blood glucose levels, but once they consume a meal, their blood glucose does not return to normal levels quite as fast as expected.
Insulin Resistance – In Type 2 Diabetes, cells become less responsive to the action of insulin, leading to raised blood glucose levels.

Type 2 Diabetes is a condition which develops if your body is no longer responding effectively to its own insulin, resulting in elevated blood glucose levels. The good news is that it can be managed and even reversed.

Risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes include:

Obesity
Lack of exercise and sedentary way of life
Eating a Western Diet
High blood pressure
Gestational diabetes
Family history
Aging

Signs & Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes are similar to Type 1 Diabetes. However, in Type 2 Diabetes, symptoms may be milder initially, and become progressively worse over time. They include:

Feeling thirsty
Frequent urination
Fatigue
Blurred vision
Slow healing of cuts

Type 2 Diabetes is a debilitating condition. The chronic high blood glucose levels results in various complications including, but not limited to:

Heart disease and stroke
Nerve damage
Diabetic retinopathy (retina or eye become damages)
Kidney disease
Foot ulcers
Sexual dysfunction
Miscarriage and still-birth

Type 2 Diabetes Treatment & Diabetes Management

Our team of Diabetes specialists can explore many opportunities to manage diabetes using diet and lifestyle interventions.

Diabetes management can be an individual approach, as your health history, current health, diet and lifestyle all contribute to how your body is responding.

Here are some examples of areas that our Diabetes specialists can explore with you to improve your symptoms, and help you feel better.

Weight Management & Diabetes: One of the most important contributing factors to Type 2 Diabetes is obesity. For every 1 Kg increase in weight, the risk of diabetes increases by 4.5-9%. Therefore, one key strategy for prevention and management of Type 2 Diabetes is obesity management. Exercise can help reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes through contributing to weight loss as part of a weight management plan, and helping with the management of blood glucose levels by increasing the sensitivity of cells to insulin.
Weight Management & Diabetes: One of the most important contributing factors to Type 2 Diabetes is obesity. For every 1 Kg increase in weight, the risk of diabetes increases by 4.5-9%. Therefore, one key strategy for prevention and management of Type 2 Diabetes is obesity management. Exercise can help reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes through contributing to weight loss as part of a weight management plan, and helping with the management of blood glucose levels by increasing the sensitivity of cells to insulin.
Your stress response: how much stress you are experiencing, and how your body responds to it can be an unexpected, but critical factor when managing Diabetes. Experiencing stress, whether that be physical or psychological, can increase your glucose and contribute to a reduction of insulin sensitivity. We may implement different strategies to minimise stress in your life, explore how nutritional interventions can support your stress response, and explain how you can improve vagal tone in the body.
Targeted Supplement Protocols: Everyone is different, and sometimes it can be difficult for you to meet your nutritional needs through diet alone. This can be due to food preferences, absorption issues, nutrient status of the foods we eat or for other reasons. As part of your Diabetes treatment our team of Diabetes specialists can offer targeted supplements to support your health goals and to meet your nutritional requirements. Some of the supplements that our team may look to introduce include chromium and Inositol to support blood glucose balance. All recommendations will be checked against your medications to ensure they are safe for you to take.

FUNCTIONAL TESTING FOR DIABETES

To further support your Type 2 Diabetes treatment, regular testing can help to monitor and track your progress. This helps out practitioners to adapt and personalise your nutrition protocol depending on your results.

HOW CAN TESTING HELP MY DIABETES MANAGEMENT?

It is important to regularly monitor your blood glucose and HbA1c, particularly if taking medication while beginning nutritional and lifestyle interventions.

Tracking your blood sugar levels helps to see how effective your personalised Diabetes treatment is. It is also essential to review in tandem with your medication to ensure that your blood sugar levels don’t go too low, and ensure that medication is reviewed regularly with your GP.

What Can You Test For?

There are two main markers to test for Diabetes:

HbA1c
Fasting blood glucose

What Sample Do You Need?

For the most in-depth analysis of your health the best sample is a blood test. However, some markers such as HbA1c, can also be done at home using a finger-prick blood test.

BOOK A CALL WITH OUR FRIENDLY ASSESSMENT TEAM

Please check Our Fees page before booking a call.

Choose a day and time that works for you.

Tell us what is going on for you.

Let us explain how we can help.

FAQs

1. How many consultations will I need?

Everyone is different, and the number of consultations can depend on the length of time you have had symptoms, how motivated you are for change, and how regularly you want your sessions. On average we recommend an initial consultation and 2 to 3 follow-up sessions over a 3 month period. Many of our clients choose one of our Online Health Packages.

2. Do you have to use functional testing?

Definitely not! Functional testing is an additional option for a more detailed assessment of your current health status. We can still support you and create a personalised nutrition and lifestyle plan for you based on our in-depth health assessments, presenting symptoms and health goals.

3. How much will a consultation cost?

Our prices vary depending on which practitioner you see and the length of the consultation. We like to be transparent about our fees, and you can take a look here.

4. Where are we based?

Our London Diabetes centre is based at the King Edward VII Hospital, however most of our practitioners work remotely. This means we can support you wherever you are in the world!

NEXT STEPS

If you resonate with any of these symptoms and would like some support, please book a complimentary call with our friendly assessment team.

They will talk through your health goals and symptoms, and recommend one of our nutrition team that specialises in balancing hormones.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Managing the data, privacy and confidentiality of our clients and practitioners is important to us.

Here are some real testimonials from clients, with names and identifying information removed.

Results may vary for different clients we see. We hope this gives you a sense of who we are as a team, and organisation.

Joy was very professional, and her sense of humour put me at ease to discuss any difficult issues with her. She was great! From the initial point of contact everyone was so friendly.

Lesley

I found Farah was really good at challenging the way I think about eating, and to suggest alternatives.

Darren

You have the have the right kind of relationship when it comes to this kind of service. They work with you to understand yourself and move at your own pace, in your own way rather than prescribing their own values onto your life. Our relationship with weight and food is one that we will carry with us forever – it deserves respect and to be nurtured with intention and everyone I’ve met through HealthMatters seems to understand that. It really was all fantastically life changing for me.

Kimberley

Having tried a plethora of dieting programmes, my biggest concern was whether this programme will actually work at this time. I strongly believe that I wouldn’t be able to achieve such a great result without Olga’s support and guidance. It was personalised and relevant to my needs, and well-informed by empirical studies.

Eirini

Sue taught me so much about nutrition, educated me on blood sugar levels and the body’s response to certain foods. Her advice was tailored to help me make better choices and experiment with food. I started incorporating a few changes, little by little, never motivated by weight loss but by my health and just feeling good […] I lost 35 kgs pretty much effortlessly, by truly living and breathing the principles Sue taught me. I can’t thank the team enough for putting me on this journey.

Parvine

Anybody using your professional services will feel better in themselves, enjoy a healthier diet and be healthier and happier for that […] Working with Susanna was a new and the best experience in weight loss I’ve ever had.

Ana

My biggest concern was my debilitating IBS. I found Sue Camp to be very calming and supportive – a real “we’ve got this!” attitude. I saw results from day one and I have already recommended her to my friends.

Wendy

I cannot believe the difference in me after working with Chloe! I have started my period today, I actually did not see it coming because I have had no PMS symptoms! It feels like a miracle. I have been able to see directly how eating whole nourishing foods can transform how we feel. My skin is better, I have lost weight, I’ve had no bloating and my anxiety levels have reduced dramatically. I feel I couldn’t have got to this stage without Chloe’s support and the knowledge she shared.

Beth

Before coming to Susanna, I was struggling with post-hormonal contraception acne and digestion inconsistencies. Susanna has really helped me understand my needs and what was missing from my diet in order to start healing from the inside. Her recommendation of doing the gut health test was extremely valuable as I was more aware of the deficiencies I had that may have been implicated in my problem areas. I would recommend Susanna to anyone.

Amanda

My biggest concern was my fatigue and general lack of energy. I have learnt so much about nutrition, supplements and how to keep my body healthy, and it has allowed me to get over any disordered mindsets around food. I would highly recommend Susanna if you need realistic and attainable advice. Especially if you are a vegetarian like me, she gave really good advice around how to maintain a well balanced plant-based diet!

Elizabeth

When I started working with Susanna, I was concerned about how my diet was impacting my thyroid function and my ability to conceive. The advice, recommendations and testing provided by Susanna continue to be very beneficial, as I have been able to modify my diet to eliminate symptoms and to support my thyroid health. Susanna is very friendly and approachable and puts a lot of care into the service she provides. I feel this makes the whole experience positive and helped me to feel at ease. She has been extremely helpful and is very knowledgeable. It was a pleasure to have been under her care.”

Sharan