9 Lesser-Known Facts About Diabetes & Ways to Prevent and Manage the Disease
These facts about diabetes would make you aware of the health precautions to be taken to lead a better life.
Do you know- what is the most common illness noticed in humans? Not fever, but the majority of people, nearly 422 million people, worldwide have diabetes. It is a condition that impairs the body’s ability to process blood glucose.
Several myths are believed by a diabetic patient without knowing facts about diabetes. For instance, it is believed that diabetes is caused when a person eats too much sugar. The fact is type 2 diabetes is caused when your body doesn’t respond to the amount of insulin it produces. If it is not treated at the right time, the patient could face the risk of stroke and heart diseases.
The warning signs of diabetes can be mild, so everyone doesn’t notice them. Having blurry vision, dry skin, and tiredness are the common symptoms of diabetes. Diabetes and prediabetes can be diagnosed with an oral glucose tolerance test or fasting plasma test.
Let us read lesser-known facts about diabetes and how it can be cured.
Facts About Diabetes
1. People having diabetes can enjoy sweets
People having diabetes are advised not to eat sweets. For them, eating even a single piece of cake needs changes in their daily meal. Cookies and other sweets contain sugar that increases blood sugar levels. However, beverages can be enjoyed in a limited quantity and moderation. It is recommended to take expert advice if you have planned to eat sweets or want to change a lifestyle.
2. Diabetes is the major cause of kidney failure, blindness, and amputation
If diabetes is not balanced, it could lead to conditions like heart attack and other severe diseases. It could also prevent your body from healing. It affects more than blood sugar levels and causes a variety of problems. Therefore, it is important to keep a check on sugar levels and regular check-ups to identify other problems in the body.
3. It is a lifelong disease
Do you also believe that taking medicines prescribed by the doctor could cure diabetes forever? Yes? Then, you are wrong! The fact is diabetes, once developed, stays till your last breath. It can’t be cured completely, but it can be managed. With a proper lifestyle and medications, you could fight diabetes for a long time. Did you know this fact about diabetes before?
4. Diabetes Might be Reversible
It was once believed that diabetes 2 was incurable. But research suggests, with changing lifestyle and healthy eating, diabetes can be controlled. Without proper care, prediabetes could lead to the diagnosis of diabetes and other major problems that might come with it. If your blood sugar level rises, then consult the doctor immediately and find ways to lose weight to prevent diabetes.
5. Diabetes has 3 Types
Diabetes has three common types - Type 1, Type 2, and Gestational. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which your body doesn’t produce insulin for itself. People having Type 1 diabetes should take insulin every day to live a better life. Type 2 diabetes starts with insulin resistance. It is caused when the body can’t make insulin for the body.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common diabetes observed in people over the age of 45. The exact cause of type 2 diabetes is unknown. However, lack of exercise and being overweight are considered to be the major factors.
The last type, Gestational diabetes, occurs due to insulin blocking hormones produced during pregnancy. It occurs only in women and goes away when the baby is born. Nearly 420 million people in the world have some form of diabetes.
6. Diabetes could strike several senses
This is one of the most lesser-known facts about diabetes. High blood glucose or high diabetic level could impair nerve function, loss of sensation, and could damage vision. According to a study, people (especially older) with diabetes could have hearing impairment without diabetes. Following a healthy lifestyle could manage the complications.
7. Diabetes Can be emotionally challenging
When you have diabetes and depression, you are at higher risk of losing your life. According to research, some cases of depression and diabetes share identical biological origins. The high levels of blood glucose in the body could cause an imbalance in neurotransmitters and cause depression.
The emotional changes in a person with diabetes undergo the weight. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid negativity and take help from the counselors when this kind of feeling begins. Depression is dangerous. Here are a few ways on how you can overcome it for sound mental health.
8. Knowing your risk level could avoid diabetes
You won’t believe it, but several people don’t know they have diabetes. About one-third of people living in the United States have prediabetes, but 90% of them don’t know. Also, people who smoke have a higher risk of having Type 2 diabetes.
9. It can affect people irrespective of age
Being overweight and an improper lifestyle are the major causes of diabetes, but it is believed that diabetes can affect people of any age. Three-fourth of people belong to the working-age group. Several children and adolescents suffer from Type 1 diabetes. Here are other medical conditions that could occur in a person of any age.
Preventions and Measures to Treat Diabetes
Here’s how you can fight diabetes while taking proper precautions.
1. Reduce sugar intake and carbs from the diet
Consuming sugary foods and refined carbs could put you at risk of developing diabetes. Your body breaks these foods into small molecules, which are absorbed by the blood. The rise in blood sugar stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin. It is recommended not to eat foods high in sugar and refined carbs to reduce the risk of diabetes.
2. Exercise Regularly
Doing regular exercise may help prevent diabetes. Working out increases the insulin sensitivity of your cells. Several types of physical activity, like aerobic exercise and interval training, have been shown to reduce blood sugar levels and improve insulin response.
3. Drinking water helps control blood sugar
Drinking water helps in reducing blood sugar is a lesser-known fact about diabetes. Drink water as your primary beverage, avoiding the consumption of other beverages containing sugar and preservatives. Those who take two servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per day have over 80% of the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
4. Quit Smoking
Smoking contributes to several health diseases, including lung cancers and the digestive tract. According to a study, smoking increases the risk of diabetes by 40% in average smokers and by 60% in those who smoke over 20 cigarettes daily. It is high time to quit smoking if you are a chain smoker.
5. Reduce the intake of processed foods
If you want to live a healthy life, then you should minimize the consumption of processed foods. Reducing the intake of processed foods and foods high in vegetable oil could reduce the risk of diabetes. Focusing on whole foods with protective measures could decrease the risk of diabetes.
6. Drink coffee or tea
Drinking water should be the primary beverage, but consuming tea or coffee also helps in avoiding diabetes. Consuming coffee reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by 30-40%. Coffee and tea contain polyphenols that protect against diabetes.
Furthermore, green tea also contains an antioxidant compound called epigallocatechin gallate that reduces blood sugar level and increases insulin sensitivity.
7. Consuming natural herbs
Many people do not know this fact about diabetes. Eating herbs like curcumin and berberine have been used in Chinese medicine for years. Curcumin is a component of the gold spice turmeric and has strong inflammatory properties.
Berberine fights inflammation, lowers cholesterol, and manages other major diseases. Curcumin decreases insulin resistance and minimizes the risk of diabetes progression.
8. Eating Fiber
Eating plenty of fiber is crucial for gut health and weight management. Consuming a proper portion of the fiber in a meal prevents high blood sugar and insulin levels and thus, reduces the risk of developing diabetes. Eating foods like popcorn, avocados, peas, and broccoli in meals increase fiber in the body.
Final Words
Diabetes is not a scary disease. If a proper lifestyle is followed and precautions are taken, then diabetes could be managed well.
Besides diabetes, several diseases could cause severe health issues. So, if you find any changes to your health, consult a doctor soon. Also, take the doctor’s advice before making any changes to the lifestyle.
Do you know other facts about diabetes and how you could cure it? If so, then share them below.
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