Diabetes: Symptoms, Types, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention and More.

What is Diabetes?

It`s a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Hyperglycaemia or raised blood sugar is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes, and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.

Symptoms

* Excessive thirst
* Lack of energy
* Rapid Weight Loss
* Frequent urination
* Blurring vision
* Non-healing of wounds

Risk Factors

* Old age
* Overweight
* Hypertension
* Abnormal lipid levels
* Family History
* History of vascular disease
* Signs if insulin resistance
* Inactive lifestyle

Types :

* Type1 is a condition where there is complete absence of insulin secretion from the pancreas. This contributes to 5-10% of all diagnosed cases
* In Type2 , the basic defect is insulin resistance and deficiency. The insulin is unable to act efficiently to keep sugar levels normal and this leads to resistance. This is followed by insulin deficiency. This ac counts for 90-95% of all cases
* Gestational diabetes: Onset during pregnancy
* Secondary diabetes: It arises as a consequence of some other ailment. For example, cushings syndrome accounts for 1-2% of all cases

Diagnosis

* By testing glucose levels in the blood after fasting for over 8-10 hours
* Postprandial sugar (PPBS) or random blood sugar(RBS) test conducted 2 hours after eating

Treatment

* Veg Diet
* Exercise
* Insulin injections

Trends

* Self-monitored sugar level using glucometer
* Some new medications address insulin resistance

Prevention :

* Remain physically active
* Control weight
* Avoid junk food.Maintain low-calorie oriented diet
* Regular sugar screening, especially for those with family history
* Eating habits: limit intake of  sweets, ensure proper spacing between meals, be careful of when and how much carbohydrates you eat, eat whole-grain foods, fruits and vegitables instead of refined items, avoid alcohol

Diet to Follow:

* Vegetable Diet.
* Beverages: Tomato Juice, rasam, Vegetable juices, clear vegetable soups, buttermilk, unsweetened black tea and black coffee, lime juice, plain soda
* Whole pulses like grams, roasted Bengal gram and sprouts

Restrict these:

* Cereals: Rice, wheat, jowar, ragi, maize, barley and oats

* Refined cereals products: Semolina, noodles, vermicelli, maida, macaroni, spaghetti and sago

* All kinds of pulses and legumes

* Vegetables: Carrot, beetroot, raw banana, all varieties of beans, green mangoes, tender jackfruit

* Milk: Only 300 ml including tea, coffee, curd

* Fruits: Orange, sweet lime, papaya, apple, guava and watermelon

Avoid:

* All forms of sugar and sugar products

* Nuts: Coconut, peanut, cashew, almond

* High-calorie fruits: Banana, pomegranate, mango, grapes, chikoo, custard apple, wood apple, jackfruit

* Dry fruits

* Butter, ghee, cheese, cream, dalda, mayonnaise and salad dressing

* Fruit juice with sugar, squash, sherbet, milkshake

Carbonated drinks

* Alcohol

* Malted bottled items

* Fried items including chips, mixture

* Red Meat, Organ meat, seafood

* Sauces, pickles and chutneys with oil