Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose or blood sugar levels are so high that your body can't use it. Normally, the pancreas releases insulin to help your body store and use sugar and fat from the food we eat. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas produces very little or no insulin, or when the body does not respond appropriately to insulin.
Diabetes is a metabolism disorder that cannot be cured as it is a life-long condition. It is entirely dependent on the way our body uses digested food for growth and energy. It is a long-term condition in which along with blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol levels should be monitored regularly, as those with diabetes are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular problems.
There are primarily three types of Diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes.
Types 1: This is a situation where the pancreas does not produce any insulin.
Type 2: The most common type, now found both in adults and children, this is the kind where the pancreas does not produce enough insulin for the body. Type 2 Diabetes can be controlled with a healthy and active lifestyle - by managing your weight, eating nutritious food and exercising regularly.
Some common symptoms of diabetes are hunger pangs, fatigue, frequent urination, weight gain and itchy skin.
Causes:
While these are the most common causes, there are two main factors that lead to diabetes. One is when pancreas produces insufficient insulin or do not produce insulin at all and second one is the inability of the body to use insulin properly. As we mentioned earlier, there are three types of diabetes so the causes for all three of them vary.
Causes of Type 1 diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes is caused when your immune system destroys the cells that are produced in pancreas to make insulin. This leads to insulin insufficiency, needed by the body to function normally. This reason is called as autoimmune reaction, as the body attacks itself.
Some triggers that may be involved in this are:
- Chemical toxins in foods items.
- Infection (viral or bacterial).
- Unidentified component causing autoimmune reaction.
Causes of Type 2 diabetes:
The reason behind type 2 diabetes is mostly family history. Though there are a variety of other factors causing type 2 diabetes, some of them are:
-Ageing
-Obesity
-Sedentary lifestyle
-Bad diet
Causes for Gestational diabetes:
The cause for this type of diabetes is still unknown. However, there are a plenty of risk factors including:
-Overweight
-Family history
-Polycystic ovary syndrome
-The baby is overweight
Apart from all these reasons, there can be many others which can cause diabetes. Some of them are listed below:
- Insulin resistance
- Cushing’s syndrome: This syndrome increases cortisol hormones which lead to increased blood sugar levels. So, an abundance of cortisol hormone can cause diabetes.
- Steroid diabetes: It’s a rare form of diabetes which occurs due to prolonged use of glucocorticoid therapy.
Preventions:
Being overweight, leading a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise and consumption of high calorie, sugary and fatty foods are the reasons that give rise to this lifestyle ailment. Follow these simple tips:
Regular exercise
Regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which also decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Avoid unhealthy food like fat food and junk food
Junk food is the type of food which has no nutritional value and is high in calories and also poses health hazards. The good taste of junk food comes from hydrogenated fats. These fats lead to obesity, atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes and heart diseases. Consumption of junk food increases the risk of diabetes to a great extent and should be avoided to the maximum.
Management of stress/change in lifestyle
Stress management has become extremely relevant in today's times as it the catalyst for many diseases specially diabetes. Managing stress levels among adults is extremely important and regular exercise and yoga can be the best way to do it. Life style changes such as continuous travel and irregular work hours can affect the normal functioning of the body leading to lifestyle diseases, diabetes being one of them. If diagnosed with diabetes, inspect your feet daily and seek early care if you get a foot injury.
Maintain weight as per your height
If all the aforementioned steps are taken care of maintain correct weight should not be a problem. Obesity and diabetes go hand in hand, hence, maintaining weight is a key part of preventing the onset of diabetes.
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