Things you should know about Diabetes

India is often referred as the “Diabetes Capital of the World” as India consists of 17% of the total number of diabetes patients in the world. About 80 million people have diabetes in India. Kerela alone has the 19.4% of the total number of diabetic people in the country which is the highest while Tamil Nadu has 13.6% at the second position. Nearly 67.7% of the age group of 45-65 in India has diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Overview:

Diabetes is a disease that happens when your body’s blood sugar gets too high, also called blood glucose. Blood glucose is the main source of energy in your body which comes from the food you eat.  Insulin, a hormone made by your pancreas helps glucose from food to reach your cells to be used for energy. Sometimes your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t use insulin well. Then glucose stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells.

Over time, too much glucose in your blood can cause health issues. Although diabetes has no cure yet but you can take precautions or you can take steps to keep your blood sugar in check if you get diagnosed with diabetes.

Type of diabetes:

The most common types of diabetes are type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes.

Type 1: In Type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t make insulin. In this scenario, your immune system destroys the cells in your pancreas that makes insulin. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, although its not mandatory as it can occur at any age. People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day.

Type 2: Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes.In Type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t make insulin or doesn’t use insulin well. Type 2 diabetes can occur at any age in your body, even during childhood. Although this type of diabetes occurs mostly in middle-aged or old-aged people.

Gestational diabetes: Gestational diabetes occurs in pregnant woman. Most of the time gestational diabetes goes away after child birth. There’s a high chance of developing type 2 diabetes in future if you’ve developed gestational diabetes.

Prevention:

As it’s said “Prevention is better than cure”, there are effective ways to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. To prevent type 2 diabetes people should:

1. Maintain a healthy body weight.
2. Exercise daily.
3. Eat a healthy diet, avoid sugar and saturated fats.
4. Avoid tobacco.

Eating well is the most important part if you are diagnosed with diabetes. The list of food below are rich in minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and fiber that are good for overall health.

1. Beans
2. Green leafy vegetables
3. Milk and Yogurt
4. Nuts
5. Whole grains

References:  diabetes.org , niddk.nih.gov , who.int , healthline.com