South Central Austin Edition | June 2025

Health care

BY ELISABETH JIMENEZ

With Texas heat and humidity, people with diabetes can struggle to cool down, facing a greater chance of experiencing heat-related illnesses, experts have found. One way the body prevents overheating is through sweat production. The other is through processes happening in the blood vessels. Blood vessels can expand or shrink, reacting to chemicals that are present when people have heat in their body, she said. However, because people with diabetes have excess sugar in their blood, that can disrupt the body’s natural cool-down mechanisms, Williams said. People with diabetes are more Diabetic people face health risks with Texas heat

Handling heat

Williams said both diabetic and nondiabetic people can deal with high temperatures in a variety of ways, including:

Williams said that she anticipates an increased risk for heat-related illnesses in the coming summer months. She said last year she and the ARC medical sta saw cases of “very bad dehydration,” including in nondiabetic patients. Austin has seen above average temperatures since January and below average precipitation, data from the NWS shows. For the June to August months, NWS is predicting temperatures will be above normal, according to a NWS forecast issued May 15. Checking the heat index, which measures temperature and humidity, is a way to prepare for the day, Williams said. Diabetic patients should be mindful of how heat can aect medicine and equipment. Williams recommends talking with a doctor to understand individual heat-related risks.

Working out in the morning

Avoiding sugary and caeinated drinks

Checking the heat index

Wearing loose, light-color clothing

Ensuring access to shade or air conditioning

likely to get dehydrated because of the excess sugar, creating a lack of water in the body needed for sweat production. Additionally, some people with diabetes can have damaged blood vessels, preventing them from eectively cooling down, she said.

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