T2dm Case Studies

The patient Luke Skywalker is a 50-year-old made who was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and was started on an oral diabetic medication. Upon effective patient teaching about his disease the murse Bobby Vavlas will discharge the patient later this afternoon. T2DM is a very common and debilitating disease that affects millions of people across the world. Patients who are diagnosed with T2DM have a hard time metabolizing sugar and the body either resists the action of insulin, a hormone that mediates your blood sugar level from getting too high or low, or doesn’t produce the proper amounts to keep glucose levels in check. (Breen, Ryan, Gibney, & O’Shea, 2015). Due to the body’s inability to control serum glucose levels, one of the most important factors in managing type 2

Carbohydrates are easily broken into glucose within the body at a much faster rate than the other macronutrients including protein and fat, which is detrimental in patients who have insulin complications due to an increasing rate of glucose production and the inability to counteract with sufficient insulin (Vasilescu, 2015). Foods that are high in fat content may also be detrimental to glucose control (Vasilescu, 2015). Diets that are high in saturated fat may decrease the binding affinity to insulin and its receptor in addition to reduction of the enzyme glycogen synthase, a key player in the conversion of glucose to glycogen the storage form of glucose (Vasilescu, 2015). However, adding foods that are high in unsaturated fats to a T2DM patient’s diet have shown to be beneficial by decreasing glucose levels and increasing insulin sensitivity (Vasilescu, 2015). Protein has been shown to stimulate insulin secretion, decrease the one of the most debilitating symptoms secondary to diabetes, neuropathy, and has a minor effect on serum glucose levels (Vasilescu,