While there is no cure for diabetes, many treatments are available to help manage blood glucose levels. A healthy lifestyle plays a big role in managing blood glucose levels and reducing the risk of complications.1 This article will explain briefly how type 2 diabetes is managed.
The aim of diabetes management is to keep blood glucose levels as close to your ‘target’ range as possible to help prevent complications. Your healthcare professional will set a personalised target blood glucose range for you – this may differ from the target range of other people you know with diabetes.2,3
Maintaining blood glucose levels within the target range generally requires using a combination of lifestyle changes and medication.
Lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet, regular exercise and stopping smoking, are important for every person with type 2 diabetes.1,4 For some people, lifestyle changes may be all they need to manage their blood glucose levels, at least for a while.2 Your healthcare team can help you make a plan for making lifestyle changes that should make a difference.
For most people with diabetes, healthy eating and exercise alone are not enough to keep the blood glucose levels down, especially as the condition progresses with time.2 If lifestyle changes are not enough, your healthcare professional will prescribe appropriate medication.2 However, this doesn’t mean you can stop eating healthily and doing regular physical activity – a healthy lifestyle and medication should be used together.2
Your healthcare professional will monitor your blood glucose levels at regular check-ups to make sure your diabetes management plan is working for you. If a treatment isn’t working for you, or you are experiencing side effects, your healthcare professional can advise on alternative options and update your management plan.
Outside of the clinic check-ups, you can also check your own blood glucose levels regularly at home using a small, handheld device. Checking your own glucose levels (self-monitoring) can be helpful in managing your diabetes, as it will help you see the effect of various foods, exercise and medications on your blood glucose levels.3
Your healthcare team can advise you on how to get a glucose monitor and how to use it to help you manage your blood glucose.
Diabetes is best managed with the support of your healthcare team.5 Many people can be part of your team to help you live well with diabetes, including health professionals, family and friends.
The following are the kinds of people you may include. Talk to your doctor about what is right for you.
Family doctor/GP
Your GP will play a central role in assessing your diabetes and helping you manage it. They can also refer you to any specialists that you may need.
Credentialled Diabetes Educator (CDE)
Your CDE will help you understand and manage diabetes as well as its associated complications. Your GP can refer you to a CDE near you.
Dietitian
A dietitian will work with you to develop a personalised healthy eating plan to suit your lifestyle, the type of diabetes you have and individual health needs.
Endocrinologist
An endocrinologist can help treat diabetes-related conditions that are complex and involve many systems within the body. Your GP can refer you.
Family and friends
Those closest to you can provide day-to-day support in managing your emotional health, physical health and motivation for diabetes self-management.
Diabetes changes over time. What works for you at the moment may not work for you in a year, so it’s important to keep in regular contact with your healthcare team. It’s also important to review your health regularly to find any health issues early, so that they can be addressed.6
The Annual Cycle of Care is a checklist designed to help you and your healthcare team keep your diabetes on track.7 Regular health checks help prevent diabetes-related complications, which may involve your kidneys, eyes, feet, nerves and heart.6
| How often | Checks to carry out |
| Daily self-checks | Foot check—look for signs of infection, swelling, redness or skin breaks. |
| 3–6 months | Foot assessment (high-risk feet)—with podiatrist, doctor or diabetes educator. |
| 6–12 months | Blood pressure—with doctor or practice nurse. HbA1c—with doctor. |
| 12 months | Foot assessment (low-risk feet)—with podiatrist, doctor or diabetes educator. Kidney health—with doctor or endocrinologist. Blood fats (cholesterol and triglycerides)—with doctor. Medication review—with doctor. Dental check—with dentist. |
| 2 years | Eye examination—with doctor, optometrist or ophthalmologist. |
| When indicated | Driver’s licence assessment—with doctor. |
Eating right when you have diabetes doesn’t have to be complex – it is about knowing what is best for you and your diabetes management plan. Knowing which foods are low-GI can be a helpful way of keeping track of your diet. Read on for a breakdown of what ‘low-GI carbohydrate’ means and how this might be helpful.
Pre-diabetes is when blood glucose levels are higher than usual, but not high enough to be diabetes.8 If you’ve been told you have pre-diabetes, or are worried you might, this page might help you get a better understanding of what that means. Read on to find out more.
When you have diabetes, you may wonder what ‘eating right’ means for you.
Here we’re busting some of the myths around food and diabetes. Keep reading to learn more.
Glucerna is Food for Special Medical Purposes. Use under medical supervision.
References: 1. Better Health Channel. Diabetes. Available at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/diabetes. 2. Diabetes Australia. Managing type 2 diabetes. Available at: https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/managing-diabetes/type-2/. Accessed May 2023. 3. Diabetes Australia. Blood glucose level range. Available at: https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/managing-diabetes/blood-glucose-range/. Accessed May 2023. 4. Diabetes Australia. Diabetes and smoking. Available at: https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/blog/diabetes-and-smoking/. Accessed May 2023, 5. Diabetes Australia. Health Care Team. Available at: https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/living-with-diabetes/just-been-diagnosed/health-care-team/. Accessed May 2023, 6. National Diabetes Services Scheme. Your diabetes annual cycle of care fact sheet. Available at: https://www.ndss.com.au/about-diabetes/resources/find-a-resource/your-diabetes-annual-cycle-of-care-fact-sheet/. Accessed May 2023. 7. National Diabetes Services Scheme. Diabetes health checks. Available at: https://www.ndss.com.au/living-with-diabetes/health-management/diabetes-health-checks/. Accessed May 2023. 8. Better Health Channel. Pre-diabetes. Available at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/diabetes-pre-diabetes. Accessed May 2023.
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