Diabetes: Are You At Risk?

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a set of related diseases in which the body cannot regulate the amount of sugar (specifically, glucose) in the blood. This currently going like epidemic. Even teenagers are now very prone to diabetes.

I have a cousin who at the age of 30 yrs old he already has diabetes. Diabetes become a common health problem in our current generation. When I was still a on my twenties, I could only hear it from the elderly. Is it because of the kind and quality of food that we eat? Does the modern lifestyle triggers diabetes? My stepmom doctor said, it’s either acquired or hereditary. We need to understand diabetes in order to prevent it if you don’t have it yet or to manage it if you already have it.


Let’s start with the term glucose. Glucose in the blood gives you energy to perform daily activities, walk briskly, run for a bus, ride your bike, take an aerobic exercise class, and perform your day-to-day chores.

What are possible reasons you acquire diabetes?

From the foods you eat, glucose in the blood is produced by the liver (an organ on the right side of the abdomen near your stomach).

In a healthy person, the blood glucose level is regulated by several hormones, including insulin. Insulin is produced by our pancreas, a small organ between the stomach and liver. It secretes other important enzymes that help to digest food.

Insulin allows glucose to move from the blood into liver, muscle, and fat cells, as our body’s fuel.

People with diabetes either do not produce enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) or cannot use insulin properly (type 2 diabetes), or both (which occurs with several forms of diabetes).

In diabetes, glucose in the blood cannot move into cells, so it stays in the blood. It doesn’t only harms the cells that need the glucose for fuel, but it also harms organs and tissues exposed to the high glucose levels.


Both types of diabetes, the signs and symptoms are likely to be similar as the blood sugar is high, either due to less or no production of insulin. In any case, if there is inadequate glucose in the cells, it is identifiable through certain signs and symptoms. These symptoms are quickly relieved once the Diabetes is treated and also reduce the chances of developing serious health problems.

What are the kinds of Diabetes?

Diabetes Type 1:

The pancreas stops producing insulin due to auto-immune response or it could be a viral attack on pancreas. In the absence of insulin, the body cells don’t get the required glucose for producing ATP (Adenosin Triphosphate) units which results into primary symptom in the form of nausea and vomiting. Ketoacidosis appears in the later stage The body starts breaking down the muscle tissue and fat for producing energy hence, causing fast weight loss. Dehydration is also usually observed due to electrolyte disturbance. Lips and tongue gets dry faster than normal. In advanced stages, it could lead to coma and death.

Diabetes Type 2:

Increased fatigue : This is due to inefficiency of the cell to metabolize glucose, reserve fat of body is metabolized to gain energy. It uses more energy as compared to glucose, when fat is broken down in the body, hence body goes in negative calorie effect, which results in fatigue.

Polydipsia : As the concentration of glucose increases in the blood, brain receives signal for diluting it and, in its counteraction that’s when we feel thirsty.

Polyuria: Increase in urine production is due to excess glucose present in body. Our body gets rid of the extra sugar in the blood by excreting it through urine. This leads to dehydration because along with the sugar, a large amount of water is excreted out of the body.

Polyphegia : The hormone insulin is responsible for stimulating hunger. Body produces insulin which leads to increased hunger order to cope up with high sugar levels in blood,

Weight flactuation : Factors like loss of water (polyuria), glucosuria , metabolism of body fat and protein may lead to weight loss. Few cases may show weight gain due to increased appetite.

Blurry vision : It is due to Hyperosmolar hyperglycemia nonketotic syndrome is the condition when body fluid is pulled out of tissues including lenses of the eye, which affects its ability to focus.

Irritability : It is a sign of high blood sugar because of the inefficient glucose supply to the brain and other body organs, which makes us feel tired and uneasy.

Infections : The body gives few signals whenever there is fluctuation in blood sugar (due to suppression of immune system) by frequent skin infections like fungal or bacterial or UTI (urinary tract infection).

Poor wound healing : First, high blood sugar resists the flourishing of WBC, (white blood cell) which are responsible for body immune system. When these cells do not function accordingly, wound healing is not in a good pace. Secondly, long standing diabetes leads to thickening of blood vessels which affect proper circulation of blood in different body parts.