10 things you don’t know about diabetes, but you should

 

Diabetes knows no gender or age, it is one of the deadly diseases that can strike at any time. In fact, a report by TOI states that “India is the diabetes capital in the world”. It estimates that almost “50 million people suffering from type-2 diabetes.”
 

 

What is diabetes exactly?

“Diabetes is a disease that affects your body’s ability to produce or use insulin. Insulin is a hormone. When your body turns the food you eat into energy (also called sugar or glucose), insulin is released to help transport this energy to the cells. Insulin acts as a “key.” Its chemical message tells the cell to open and receive glucose,” according to davita.com.
 

 

Here are 10 things that you don’t know about diabetes, but you should:

WHAT CAUSES TYPE 1: Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, and it cannot be prevented. It occurs when your own immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.  Without insulin, our blood sugar levels cannot be regulated, and this can prove to be deadly.
 

 

WHAT CAUSES TYPE 2:   Type 2 is not exclusive to obese people as one expects.  It’s mostly genetic.  It doesn’t discriminate between fat, thin or healthy BMI’d individuals.

 

BLOOD SUGAR 101:  When your blood sugar is not monitored and controlled, it can lead to serious complications. And by serious complications, think kidney failure, blindness and even amputation.  This is because high blood sugar damages the blood vessels.



TYPE 2 IS REVERSIBLE: Unlike Type 1, type 2 can be reversed through committed diet and exercise.

 

 

EMOTIONAL TOLL:  Not many are aware of the emotional toll involved. Diabetic people are prone to depression, burnout and even diambluia – a body image disorder that affects diabetic young women.

 

 

YOU’VE BEEN WARNED:  Diabetic symptoms include: being thirsty all the time; always ravenous; mood swings; blurred vision and lethargy among others.   

 

CLAW TOES:  When toes take on a claw-like position, it is indicative of diabetes, according to a  New Indian Express report. 
 

 

DIABETIC DIET:  There is no such thing called a diabetic diet. Instead, a healthy eating lifestyle monitored by a diabetic nutritionist without sacrificing your favourite foods.

 

 

EXCERCISE:  Get your insulin to work more efficiently by exercising regularly like walking or swimming. 


Also read:  Feel the burn: 5 lesser-known exercises you can do on the treadmill and So, you think you can walk
 

 
OF HIGHS AND LOWS:  USA, Singapore and Malta have the highest prevalence of diabetes in developed countries, whereas Lithuania, Estonia and Ireland have the lowest prevalence.  “China and India have the highest total numbers of people with diabetes – 110 million in China and 69 million in India – reflecting their high populations,” reports the Daily Mail.