Diabetes is defined as the chronic health condition where blood glucose is too elevated either due to the inability of the body to use insulin or pancreas cannot produce insulin.
Diabetes affects how human body turns food onto energy. When food is consumed, body breaks it down into glucose and then releases it into the bloodstream. As blood glucose increases, pancreas releases insulin to ensure that glucose is taken by the body cells to be used as energy.
There are three types of diabetes: TYPE 1 DIABETES (T1D)
TYPE 2 DIABETES (T2D)
GESTATIONAL DIABETES
TYPE 1 DIABETES
This type of Diabetes is insulin-dependent since pancreas cannot produce enough insulin.
It usually develops at any age but mostly at young age until young adulthood, before 40.
TYPE 2 DIABETES
This type of Diabetes can both insulin and non-insulin dependent as the human cells cannot respond normally to insulin. It usually develops after the age 45.
GESTATIONAL DIABETES
This type of Diabetes occurs only at women during pregnancy without any diabetes history.
Pancreas cannot produce enough insulin; therefore, insulin is necessary. Gestational diabetes might increase high blood pressure risk during pregnancy or delivering a large size baby.
What are the risk factors of Diabetes?
Family history (a parent, brother, or sister) with Type 1 Diabetes and age plays an important role in developing Type 1 Diabetes.
Risk factors of Type 2 Diabetes include having pre-diabetes (elevated blood sugar levels but not yet diagnosed), being overweight (BMI between 25 to 29.9kg/m2), age (being 45 years or older), family history of Type 1 Diabetes, and being physical inactive.
What are the common symptoms of Diabetes?
Common symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes include increased thirst, frequent urination especially during the night, tiredness, unexpected weight and muscle mass loss, and persistent infections such as thrust. These symptoms might appear in few hours or days in young people and in few days or week in adults.
Additionally, common symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes include increased thirst, frequent urination, tiredness, unexpected weight loss, persistent infections, longer healing time of cuts and wounds, and blurred vision. Symptoms might appear over several years and may not be visible.
What are the complications of Diabetes?
Diabetes complication can be both acute and chronic.
Acute complications include hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state and diabetic ketoacidosis which are both life-threatening. Nevertheless, hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia.
On the other hand, chronic complications include complications to almost all parts of the human body: retinopathy (eye disease), foot problems, heart attack and/or stroke, nephropathy (kidneys failure), neuropathy (nerves disease), gum disease, and other health conditions such as cancer.
Tips to manage Diabetes prevention:
- Maintain a healthy body weight since a weight loss of 7% at people with high risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes results in 34% delay in diabetes onset after 10 years, and weight loss of 10% in remission in people with Type 2 Diabetes.
- Exercise since being active helps with regulating blood glucose levels. The World Health Organization recommends limiting sedentary time, 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise or 75-150 minutes of vigorous intensity or combination of both, with two or more days of muscle-strengthening activities during the week.
- Prefer whole grain products such as brown or red rice and oven baked potato with the skin.
- Limit sugar intake since it elevates blood sugar levels.
- Avoid consuming all fruit portions at once since they contain fructose which if consumed in very large amounts could still elevate blood sugar levels.
- Choose healthy fats such as polyunsaturated fats in nuts, seeds, avocado, and fish oil contained in oily fish such as milk fish.
- Limit red meat (beef, pork, lamb) consumption and processed meat (deli meats, sausages) as they contain saturated fat.
- Avoid tobacco use.
- Limit alcohol consumption.
- Manage stress as stress increases Type 2 Diabetes risk.
- Be careful with portion sizes. Well-balanced meals are the key.
- Prefer healthy cooking methods such as boiling, grilling and baking.
SOME FACTS:
Source: Oceanic Magazine (Oct 2023)