Medical and Health articles by Deepak MR
Everything You Need to Know About Diabetes
11.4% of people in India have Diabetes. An even more worrying fact is that 15.3% of the country’s population is pre-diabetic, which means they are at high risk of developing Diabetes. Diabetes is today a serious health issue in India. In 2020, 7 lakh Indians died as a result of Diabetes and its related complications. If you want to know all about diabetes, then read on to get all your questions answered.
Types of Diabetes
1) Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes is an auto-immune disease where the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells producing insulin. As a result, your blood sugar levels go up. It is a disease that cannot be cured.
2) Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes is the most common type (90% prevalence). Here, the body either does not produce sufficient insulin or cells cannot effectively utilize insulin. It is a metabolic disorder and occurs mainly due to an unhealthy lifestyle.
3) Pre-Diabetes
Pre-diabetes is a condition where your blood sugar levels are more than normal but not high enough to be classified as Diabetes. It is not a disease but a health condition that needs to be addressed to prevent diabetes.
Know the symptoms of Diabetes
If you have diabetes, then you have may have one or more of these symptoms:
· Increased thirst.
· Increase in frequency of urination.
· Feeling weak or tired.
· Losing weight without trying.
· Blurred vision
· Sores that do not heal well.
How is diabetes diagnosed?
To diagnose diabetes, you must undergo a blood test. You have to give a blood sample early in the morning after fasting overnight for at least 10-12 hours. The blood sugar level must be less than 100 mg/dl. If it is 100 to 126 mg/dl, then you are diagnosed with pre-diabetes. If your fasting blood sugar is more than 126 mg/dl, then you have diabetes.
One more blood sample is collected two hours after you have breakfast. This test is known as PPBS or Post Prandial Blood Sugar. If your PPBS is between 140 and 200 mg/dl, you are pre-diabetic. If it is more than 200, you are diabetic. Your doctor will use the blood sugar tests and the results of another test known as HbA1c (measures average blood sugar for 3 months) to diagnose if you have diabetes.
Causes of Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes is an auto-immune disease. It may occur due to genetic reasons or due to a virus.
Type 2 Diabetes is a lifestyle disorder. Being overweight or obese is one of the key reasons for developing type 2 Diabetes. Excess belly fat is a key factor that causes Diabetes.
When to see a doctor for Diabetes
Diabetes is a serious disease that you must never ignore. If you experience any of the symptoms of Diabetes, you must see a doctor. The doctor will use blood tests to diagnose diabetes and will suggest treatment options. It is extremely important to follow your doctor’s advice on treatment/prevention,
Risk factors for Diabetes
The following factors can increase your risk of becoming diabetic:
· Being overweight.
· Aged 45 or more.
· Have parents or siblings with Diabetes.
· Leading a sedentary lifestyle with not much exercise or physical activity.
· Having high blood pressure.
Possible complications of Diabetes
If you don’t take prompt action, your blood sugar levels can increase rapidly. Serious complications from very high blood sugar levels include kidney failure, heart attack, and stroke. Loss of sensation in the nerves (neuropathy) and vision loss are other complications.
Prevention of Diabetes
While you cannot prevent type 1 Diabetes, type 2 Diabetes is preventable. You must follow a healthy diet and exercise for at least 150 minutes a week (at moderate levels).
Remedies / Treatment for Diabetes
The main treatment for Diabetes is medication. Oral drugs can improve glucose absorption ensuring normal blood sugar levels. Some patients would need insulin through injection or an insulin pump. Apart from these remedies, lifestyle modification is essential. You must exercise to lose weight and reduce consumption of foods that increase your blood sugar levels.
Conclusion
While Diabetes is a serious issue, it is not something to panic about. You must get timely treatment to ensure your blood sugar levels are under control. Meet a doctor today to find out if you are diabetic or at risk of developing Diabetes.
FAQs on Diabetes
1) What kind of food should diabetics consume?
Food that is low in sugar and unsaturated fat and high in fibre.
2) Do I need to take medicines for life?
It is possible to reverse diabetics through lifestyle changes where you can stop taking medicines.
3) Can stress cause Diabetes?
If you are stressed all the time, your risk of becoming diabetic increases.
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/Diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20371444
https://www.healthline.com/health/Diabetes
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Diabetes/
How To Successfully Follow A Sugar Free Diet
A sugar free diet has many health benefits. But, is it practically possible to give up sugar? How do you manage? We tell you all you need to know to follow this diet and get its benefits.
Going Sugar Free
A sugar free diet has many benefits for your health as giving up sugar has proven health benefits. It helps to reduce blood sugar level, reduces cravings for food and helps to lose weight. There are many other such benefits for your health when you cut down on sugar. But how do you implement such a diet? Is it possible to give up sugar altogether? Let us look at the answers.
What To Give Up
A sugar free diet calls for giving up sugar and everything that has sugar. This includes no sugar in coffee, tea, juice, yogurt. Honey and syrup also have to be given up. You have to say goodbye to all foods that have sugar like cakes, pastries, bread, potatoes, bananas, dates and dried fruits. All artificial sweeteners have to be given up. You also have to reduce intake of stevia, cherries, mangoes, grapes, pineapple, watermelon, and dairy products.
What To Eat
You can eat all types of meat. You can eat seafood and all vegetables. You can eat fruits with low sugar content like apples, blueberries, cantaloupe, coconut, grapefruit, kiwi, limes, peach, orange, plum, pear, and strawberries. You can eat all legumes, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, spices, eggs, and protein powder. As you can see there are many items allowed in this diet to sate your hunger.
Do It Slowly When you start with a sugar free diet, do it slow and steady. Don’t give up sugar completely in one go. Your body will revolt and you may find it difficult to manage. It can also lead to a drastic fall in blood sugar levels affecting your health. First give up on white sugar added to tea, coffee, milk. Here again, first reduce your sugar intake by 50%, maintain the diet for a couple of weeks and then give up added sugar completely. Give up on pastries, cake and the like. Follow this diet for a couple of weeks. When you get adjusted, then give up on potatoes and other prohibited fruits. Finally, give up on artificial sweeteners.
Increase Calories
Yes! When you give up on sugar, increase on calories from the permitted good for some time. This helps you to manage the cravings that otherwise would create withdrawal symptoms. Fatty meat, veggies with butter, spice, high carb and low-fat snacks like dark chocolate. Eat more of such food for a few weeks without worrying about calories. Do this until your body adjusts to being sugar-free, after which you can then cut down on calories.
Eat Well
Eat small portions once every three hours. Don’t eat anything after 8 pm. Limit caffeine and alcohol. Make use of spices that add flavor to your food, so you can reduce craving for sugar. Going on a sugar free diet is difficult. Do it slowly in a phased way. Ensure you avoid all food items containing sugar and have good carbs and proteins to reduce craving for sugar.
References:
https://www.furtherfood.com/going-sugar-free-your-handy-food-guide-of-what-to-eat-what-to-avoid/
https://blog.bulletproof.com/sugar-cravings-challenge/#ref-3
https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20809521,00.html
https://www.verywellfit.com/sugar-busters-diet-food-lists-2242460
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319991.php