Is it possible that I'm diabetic?
What does a normal blood glucose level look like? Here's a table of low and high standard measures!
Because diabetes is a lifestyle disease, making changes to one's daily routine at the correct moment can help prevent the disease from developing. Early detection of the illness can save lives by preventing major difficulties in the functioning of the body's organs and systems.
KEY POINTS TO NOTE
- Type 1 diabetes can be inherited, gestational diabetes can be a temporary condition, but Type 2 diabetes is primarily a lifestyle disease.
- Diabetes is on the rise in India, and we have yet to recognize this worrying increase in the number of sufferers.
- Unfortunately, many sufferers are only diagnosed after the disease has taken hold in their bodies.
Sorry for interrupting your celebration! Allow us to propose, however, that before you participate a laddoo or pastry eating battle with your coworkers, you should know what your blood sugar level is. Until an eye surgery is postponed because "the sugar level was too high" or "diabetes can cause wound healing problems," most of us have no idea what our bio-fluids are attempting to tell us.
While diabetes is a severe ailment that affects people all over the world, Indians must be particularly concerned about contracting or developing it. That's because it's generally known that South Asians are more likely than Europeans to develop diabetes at lower weight levels. India is a rapidly urbanizing country, which contributes to its standing as the diabetes epidemic's epicenter.
Over half of the Indian population is at risk of developing diabetes at some point in their lives, according to a report in Springer Diabetologia titled "Lifetime risk of diabetes in metropolitan cities in India," authored by a team of doctors from various universities and hospitals in the UK, the US, Pakistan, and India (including Dr Nikhil Tandon of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi).
According to a study published in 2021, persons in India's cities and metropolitan areas are more likely than ever before to get diabetes. This is due, in part, to cities encouraging a lifestyle that can lead to a rise in a person's BMI (BMI). A greater BMI is a risk factor for diabetes.
"In this study, we assessed the lifetime risk of having diabetes in India's metropolitan centers, where a high number of adults currently have diabetes and where population-level weight status and life expectancy are rapidly increasing," the researchers wrote.
What is Diabetes, and how does it affect you?
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), which is situated in the United States, "Diabetes is a condition in which your blood glucose, often known as blood sugar, is too high. Your main source of energy is blood glucose, which comes from the food you eat. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, aids glucose absorption into cells for use as energy. Sometimes your body doesn't produce enough — or any — insulin, or it doesn't use it properly. Glucose remains in your circulation and does not reach your cells as a result." The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) emphasizes that "every case of diabetes is serious" and must be treated as such.
Diabetes can lead to a variety of major health issues, including:
- Vision loss
- gangrene-related amputation
- slow-healing wounds
- kidney illness
- nerve damage
- retinal disease
- heart disease, and stroke, to name a few.
- Management is key:
Understanding blood glucose level ranges, according to Diabetes.co.uk, is an important element of diabetes self-management. (https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html). Every individual's recommended blood glucose levels can be interpreted differently, so talk to your doctor about it.
Types of Diabetes Blood Sugar Tests:
Blood tests, such as fasting plasma glucose, two-hour postprandial test, and oral glucose tolerance test, are used to determine blood glucose levels, according to the National Health Portal of India. HbA1c (glycated haemoglobin) is a glycated haemoglobin that can be used to diagnose diabetes (if facilities are easily available).
When speed is of the essence, a random plasma glucose test is employed in the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes since samples can be taken at any time and do not require as much planning.
Fasting plasma glucose test: After at least eight hours of fasting, a sample is obtained (usually taken in the morning).
The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) entails collecting a fasting blood sample and then drinking an extremely sweet drink containing 75g of glucose. After 2 hours, another blood sample is obtained.
The HbA1c test is used to diagnose diabetes. This test does not directly detect blood sugar levels.
What are the benefits of maintaining a healthy blood sugar level?
It's critical to keep your blood glucose levels under control as much as possible, as long-term high sugar levels raise the risk of diabetes complications.
And, at long last,
Whatever your diagnosis, follow your doctor's orders and make the necessary lifestyle adjustments to avoid developing diabetes or severe diabetes.
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The Power of Being Alone: Why Solitude Is Becoming the Secret Weapon of the Modern Mind
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By Hazrat Usman Usman2 days ago in Lifehack
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