Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disorder defined by high sugar levels in the blood, which affect the heart, blood vessels, eyes, and kidneys. In 2021, 6.7 million people died of diabetes, and around 537 million adults had diabetes. This number speculates to instigate to 643 million by 2030.
Diabetes is a condition that occurs when your body cannot effectively utilize glucose to produce energy. Hence, the sugar concentration in the blood increases.
What is Glucose, and how it works?
When you digest the food, biochemical reactions inside your body break down carbohydrates into sugar or Glucose. Now, Glucose needs to be utilized by cells to produce energy. Glucose is the primary energy source for your cells, and Glucose can not access the cell directly. Here comes a hormone produced by the pancreas called insulin, which is responsible for helping your cells absorb Glucose. Insulin balances the glucose or sugar concentration in the bloodstream.
In diabetes, your body either does not produce enough insulin or cannot utilize insulin effectively, leading to a buildup of Glucose in your bloodstream. Without insulin, the sugar/Glucose lingers in the bloodstream, circulating throughout the body and causing damage to blood vessels and organs.
Types of Diabetes:
There are several types of diabetes, each with unique causes, symptoms, and treatments.
- What is Type 1 diabetes:
It is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes. It is an autoimmune disorder that develops in childhood. In Type 1 diabetes, the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, leading to a lack of insulin production.
To manage Type 1 diabetes:
The most common treatment for Type 1 diabetes is insulin therapy, which involves injecting insulin into your body to help your cells absorb Glucose. It requires daily insulin injections to manage blood sugar levels.
- Type 2 diabetes:
Type 2 diabetes, also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes. It is the most common type of diabetes, accounting for 90% to 95% of all diabetes cases. It occurs when your body becomes resistant to insulin or does not produce enough. Genetic factors and a sedentary lifestyle are the reasons behind type 2 diabetes.
Through lifestyle modification, type 2 diabetes can be prevented, and healthy habits can delay the progression of diabetes. According to the National Institute of Health, fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, eggs, fish, and low-fat milk are recommended for diabetic patients.
Gestational diabetes:
This type of diabetes occurs due to hormonal changes during pregnancy when the body cannot produce enough insulin to handle the increased glucose levels. High blood sugar makes your pregnancy complicated and damages your baby's health.
Gestational diabetes usually resolves after pregnancy, but women who develop gestational diabetes are at a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.
Treatment for gestational diabetes includes monitoring blood sugar levels, following a healthy diet, and regular exercise. In some cases, insulin therapy may be necessary.
Symptoms of diabetes:
- Increased thirst and Frequent urination
It occurs because kidneys excrete additional Glucose along with urine to balance high glucose concentrations in your body. Hence, in addition to releasing Glucose, the kidneys also excrete a significant amount of water in the form of urine, which causes dehydration in the body. It will leave you even more thirsty. As you drink more water to quench your thirst, you urinate more.
- Fatigue and weakness:
Once Glucose enters the cell, it starts producing energy through respiration. Due to insulin insufficiency in diabetic patients, the cells cannot absorb Glucose for energy production. Due to a lack of energy, the person feels lazy and fatigued.
- Blurred vision:
It is one of the primary signs of diabetes; high blood glucose causes swelling in eye lenses. Eye lenses are responsible for sharp and clear vision, creating a cloudy buildup in the eye lens, resulting in a cataract.
- Weight loss:
Because your body can not utilize Glucose to produce energy, it burns fats and muscles to get power for the body. The constant fat-burning process by the body leads to unexplained weight loss.
- Slow healing wounds and frequent infections:
In diabetes, the body produces enzymes and hormones that slow down your immune system and make it less effective against infections. That is why women with diabetes are more prone to bladder and yeast infections.
The high glucose level in diabetic patients increases the thickness of blood vessels, causing them to narrow, which makes it difficult for blood to flow to the site of wounds. Because of impaired blood circulation, your body takes more time to heal wounds.
- Numbness in the hands or feet (Diabetic Neuropathy)
Nerves are responsible for sending signals between the body and the brain. High blood sugar levels lead to nerve damage. Because of nerve damage, your body feels tingling, numbness, or burning sensation in your hands and feet. Peripheral nerve damage is the most common in diabetic patients.
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Cause of Diabetes?
Several factors increase your risk of developing diabetes, including:
- Age:
As you grow older, your body becomes resistant to insulin, which is why the risk of developing diabetes increases with age. Besides, loss of muscle mass and being overweight are reasons behind diabetes in older people.
- Family history:
If a family member has diabetes, you are at a higher risk of developing Type 1 diabetes.
- Obesity:
Due to the deposition of a large amount of fat around the liver and other organs, the adipose tissue releases inflammatory chemicals like cytokines, which impair insulin signaling. Being overweight increase your chances of developing diabetes because of insulin resistance and persistent high blood sugar level. Obesity also causes diabetes to worsen faster.
- Ethnicity:
Certain ethnic groups, such as African and Asian Americans, have a higher chance of developing diabetes than whites. After China and India, Pakistan has the third highest diabetes prevalence rate. According to an article published in the newspaper, around 33 million people in Pakistan have diabetes, which indicates an alarming health concern. If preventive steps are not taken, this number will escalate to a global epidemic.
- Medical history:
If you have a history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease, you are at a higher risk of developing diabetes.
Prevention of Diabetes:
Although some risk factors for diabetes, such as age and family history, cannot be changed, you can take steps to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. These steps include:
- Maintaining a healthy weight:
Maintaining a healthy weight can help prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes. Excessive fat around your belly region shows high-fat accumulation in visceral organs, which impairs insulin signaling and causes high glucose concentration in the circulatory system. Therefore, shedding a few pounds of weight helps in improving insulin sensitivity.
- Eating a healthy diet:
A diet that is low in processed foods and refined carbohydrates and high in fiber and whole grains can prevent you from Type 2 diabetes.
- Exercising regularly:
Exercise can help prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity. Cardio, resistance training, HIIT, and brisk walking for 30 minutes daily can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Managing blood pressure and cholesterol levels:
High blood pressure and cholesterol can increase your risk of developing diabetes because of high-fat accumulation in the blood vessels, which causes poor blood circulation.
- Avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption:
A chemical in cigarettes called nicotine can increase your blood glucose level, even if you do not have diabetes. Smoking and alcohol increase your risk of having diabetes and heart disease by 30% to 40%.
Conclusion:
Diabetes Mellitus is a medical condition in which your body cannot utilize Glucose because of impaired or insufficient insulin. The prevalence of diabetes is escalating daily, and it has become so common nowadays that millions die from diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that requires daily insulin injections, while type 2 diabetes is the most common type and can be managed successfully with lifestyle changes and medications. Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy and increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Age, family history, lifestyle, ethnicity, and medical history are all risk factors for diabetes. Depending on the kind of diabetes you have, there are many treatments available. You may prevent diabetes by eating healthily, exercising frequently, maintaining weight, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
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