Eat Healthy - Beat Diabetes

The World Health Day 2016 is observed worldwide with a theme – Beat Diabetes. Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic, metabolic disease characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose which will over time lead to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. The prevalence of diabetes has been steadily increasing and it has witnessed fourfold increase in the past four decades. About 350 million people have diabetes worldwide, and it is estimated that one tenth of the adults over 18 years have diabetes.
  

Diabetes occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar, gives us the energy that we need to live. If it cannot get into the cells to be burned as energy, sugar builds up to harmful levels in the blood. Hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.

Types of Diabetes 

There are two major forms of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is characterized by a lack of insulin production and Type 2 diabetes results from the body's ineffective use of insulin. Type 2 accounts for around 90% of all diabetes worldwide. A third type of diabetes is gestational diabetes. This type is occurring or diagnosed during pregnancy. Women with gestational diabetes are at an increased risk of complications during pregnancy and at delivery. They are at increased risk of Type 2 diabetes in the future.

Apart from these three types, IGT (Impaired Glucose Tolerance – high sugar values only after food; not at fasting and IFG (Impaired Fasting Glycaemia – high sugar values only at fasting; not after food) are intermediate conditions in the transition between normality and diabetes. People with IGT or IFG are at high risk of progressing to Type 2 diabetes if appropriate preventive measures are advocated in time. 

Causes

The causes of diabetes are a multiple and complex, but for Type 2 diabetes the increase is in large part due to rapid increases in overweight, including obesity and physical inactivity.  The cause is not known in Type 1 diabetes, but it is thought to be the result of a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Due to this multifactorial feature, diabetes is seldom an isolated entity and usually occurs along with other conditions like Hypertension, Dyslipidemia and Obesity. 

Complications 

Diabetes has become one of the major causes of premature illness and death, mainly through the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. Cardiovascular disease is responsible for between 50% and 80% of deaths in people with diabetes. Lack of awareness about diabetes, combined with irregular treatment, can lead to complications such as blindness, amputation and kidney failure. The life threatening infections, hypo or hyperglycemia are the acute complications of diabetes.

Diabetes is not just a matter of health; its complications bring about substantial economic loss to people with diabetes and their families and to national economies through direct medical costs and loss of work and wages.

Treatment

Early diagnosis and prompt treatment is the cornerstone of diabetes management. Early diagnosis can be accomplished through relatively inexpensive blood testing. Once diagnosed, diabetes needs to be controlled well to prevent further complications. People with type 1 diabetes require insulin; people with type 2 diabetes can be treated with oral medication, but may also require insulin. Other co-morbid conditions and complications also need to be screened periodically and treated appropriately. 

How to Prevent

A large proportion of diabetes cases are preventable. Simple lifestyle measures have been shown to be effective in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes. Maintaining normal body weight, engaging in regular physical activity, and eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk of diabetes.
  

To help prevent type 2 diabetes and its complications, one should:

• Achieve and maintain ideal body weight according to the height.

• Be physically active – at least 30 minutes of regular, moderate to intensity activity on at least 5 days in a week.

• Eat a healthy diet of between 3 and 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day and reduce sugar and saturated fats intake.

• Avoid tobacco use as smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

The symptoms of diabetes include excessive excretion of urine, excessive thirst, constant hunger, weight loss, vision changes and fatigue.

If you are in doubt, check! Let’s beat diabetes together!