8 Common Diabetes Questions Answered

Introduction Diabetes has become a common household disease in our modern life. Our sedentary lifestyle, munching on junk food, stressful work life, consuming alcohol, smoking, make the disease even more popular. Do you know, rather than people having diabetes, greater percentage of people suffer from pre-diabetes which is a precursor to the disease. In fact, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that if the diabetes epidemic continues, one in three will develop it in his or her lifetime. For women, its a bad news that both the mother and child can get affected by it during pregnancy and women with diabetes is more likely to have a heart attack at a younger age than women without diabetes. There are a lot of misinformation (like skinny girls don’t get the disease or eating too much sweets causes it) about this slowly killer disease. Here we will mention some expert answers to some common diabetes questions.

1. What is the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes? Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. It is most commonly diagnosed in age groups below 18, but it can affect at any age. Type 1 diabetics need insulin to manage the disease. In Type 2 diabetes, the body loses its sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that helps muscles absorb and use blood sugar. Conventionally, Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed in older people. But thanks to the rise in obesity, it is now affecting younger people and also children. It can be treated with diet changes, exercise habits, oral medication and insulin.

2. How will I know if I have diabetes? There are no signs or symptoms for diabetes in particular. But some signs include frequent thirst or hunger, tendency to urinate more than usual, losing weight without trying to, fatigue and crankiness. The normal blood sugar level is 99mg/dL or below, pre-diabetes is 100 to 125, and diabetes is 126 and above.

3. My father has diabetes. Does that raise my risk? Yes. A family member having diabetes can raise your risk for developing the type 1 diabetes by about 5% and type 2 diabetes by more than 30%.

4. I’ve read that belly fat is a diabetes risk factor. Should I worry about my muffin top? Yes. Excess fat around your belly is related to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. (Type 1 diabetes has nothing to do with obesity). In particular, the visceral fat wrapped around your internal organs can pose a problem, and it increases insulin resistance (the problem in type 2 diabetes) more so than fat in other parts of your body. Overweight bodies may be too big for the pancreases to keep up.

5. Can diet or exercise really prevent diabetes? Yes. Exercising and healthy diet helps to keep your body weight under control, which can prevent or at least delay diabetes. If you are already suffering from diabetes, doing aerobic exercise and resistance training helps by encouraging the muscles to take up more blood sugar.

6. Could my sweet tooth lead to diabetes? Many believe that people who consume sweet food are attacked by this disease. But, this is not true. Nor is it necessary for diabetics to avoid all sugar. A well balanced diet rich in whole grains, protein, vegetables, fruit, food low in fat, cholesterol and simple sugars can help to prevent this disease.

7. Does skinny people get diabetes? Being overweight can be a cause for Type 2 diabetes, but 20% of people who get it are slim. “The number of type 2 diabetics is growing, especially in thin Asian populations,” says Greenberg.

8. If I had gestational diabetes that went away, should I worry? Risk of developing Type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes, increases substantially, between 20% and 50%. Gestational diabetes occurs when hormones that help a baby’s placenta develop interfere with the mother’s insulin, resulting in higher blood sugars. It also depends on other factors like ethnicity, genetics and weight. Your risk can be limited if you lose weight after having a baby.