Diabetes is a silent killer, don’t let it kill you. You can cope with it by understanding it.
Before we go ahead, it’s important to know the normal process of digestion. Your food is made of three types of nutrients namely carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Foods like bread, pasta, potato, milk, yogurt, rice and fruits are rich in carbohydrates.
When you eat food, these carbohydrates get broken down into sugar, also known as glucose. It then travels from stomach through the blood stream to the muscles and fat cells with the help of special hormone known as insulin which is produced by the pancreas.
Insulin acts like a key, unlocking the doors to the body cells, allowing the sugar to enter. The cells can then use this sugar to produce energy necessary to the body. When this process functions properly, the sugar entering into the blood stream from stomach is able to cross the blood stream to reach to the body cells. In this way the concentration of sugar in the blood is regulated.
You just learnt about the normal process of digestion. Now, let’s see how dysfunction in digestion process leads to Diabetes.
In Diabetes, after sugar enters in the blood stream, either Pancreas does not produce sufficient quantity of Insulin to match the sugar entering into the blood stream or, the body cells do not respond to the Insulin that the Pancreas is producing.
In both cases the cell doors remain closed causing sugar to get accumulated in the blood stream. As a result, level of sugar in the blood increases, giving rise to Diabetes.
Once you have understood the pathology behind Diabetes its imperative to know the symptoms as well. These can be summarised as:
Weakness: Since sugar is unable to enter into the body cells, body is unable to generate the energy it needs to do its function. As a result, patient with Diabetes feels weak.
Poly-dypsia: The body tries to dilute the high sugar level in blood by pulling out the fluid from cells. As a result, person feels increase in thirst.
Damage to vital organs: Most importantly, constant exposure to high blood sugar level causes damage to the vital organs such as eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart.
Complications of Diabetes: If not controlled for a long time, damage to the vital organs can result in severe complications like blindness, amputation, kidney failure, heart attack and stroke.
However, people with Diabetes can avoid above complications and can live a healthy long life by maintaining the blood sugar levels in its normal range. To make it convenient, you may follow the below:
Diet: Reduce the intake of carbohydrates in single meal or snack to reduce the demand of Insulin supply. Say no to foods with high sugar content such as cake, candy, chocolate, pie, soda.
Exercise: Physical activity makes the muscles and body cells more receptive to insulin. Thus, body cells which would not open before, now will open allowing the sugar enter into them.
Oral medication: Doctors may prescribe oral medication to increase the supply of Insulin, regulate the amount of sugar in the blood stream or making body cells more receptive to the Insulin produced by Pancreas.
Insulin injections: Insulin shots may also be necessary.
So my dear friends, if you are cautious about Diabetes you should be aware of the causes, symptoms and management of Diabetes.
This video gives a fair idea about diabetes, … Do watch it!
