Whether you are living with types 2 diabetes or not, there is probably a good chance that you know someone that have already been diagnosed. This disease is becoming more prone throughout the world. Each year more people battle this disease and the number only continues to increase. This is why it is imperative that you know everything you possibly can about it, the drugs available, and preventions. Below, you will learn key information and tips about the disease.
Understanding What Diabetes Is
To start off, diabetes is a medical condition that causes the glucose levels in your bloodstream to rise beyond normal levels. What this basically means in layman terms is that you have too much sugar in your blood. The reason this happens is, because your body cannot make enough insulin to dispose of the excess sugar. When you eat sugary foods, insulin is the key factor in your body that helps breakdown the sugar content. Without the proper amount of insulin, your body will not be able to move the sugar through the cells. This action will cause your body to rely on alternative energy sources from other tissues, muscles, and organs. When this reaction starts to take place a lot of different symptoms can start to show up throughout the body.
Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms
- Frequent urination– when there is too much sugar in your blood your body has to do something to get rid of it, and it usually does that through the kidneys. This usually results are a diabetic individual having to make frequent bathroom trips. If you ever notice that you have to urinate every few hours it could be possible that you are dealing with diabetes.
- Increased thirst– since you are going to be bathroom more often, your body will be dispelling liquids like crazy, which in return could cause you to become dehydrated. If you are constantly developing dry mouth or consuming more liquids than normal, you may want to look into getting a diabetes test done.
- Weight loss– along with the loss of fluids, and your inability to get enough glucose, you will likely notice some weight loss.
- Increased hunger– since your body is not able to properly absorb glucose, because it can’t use the insulin to push the glucose through your cells, it is going to trick your brain into thinking that you are hungry. The pancreas is the organ that makes insulin, and because insulin doesn’t work well in other muscles, tissues, and fats, this is going to cause the pancreas to produce more and more insulin. Basically, what this is going to do is trigger a hunger reaction in the brain.
- Numbness and foot pain– as mentioned above high blood sugar is going to be one of the biggest symptoms of diabetes. If your body is exposed to high blood sugar for a prolonged amount of time, it is possible that it can damage the nerves. While it sometimes takes years and years for the symptoms of damaged nerves to show up in certain people, it has been known to show up in others right away. Numbness, tingling, and pain will usually develop in the lower extremities, which is a good sign that you have damaged nerves in the feet. It is also possible for the damaged nerves to spread upward to the limbs.
- Increase change of infections– when the blood sugar levels are high in the body, yeast and bacteria multiply faster and quick than ever. For woman, this can cause an increase chance of vaginal infections, foot infections, skin, blood vessel, and nerve infections.
- Blurred vision– is a pretty common symptom and one of the earliest that shows up. What happens is the muscles in the eyes are not able to adapt quickly enough to the rapid change of sugar levels in the body, which results in blurred vision. Of course, the muscles eventually are able to adapt and the vision goes back to normal, but unexplained blurred vision could ne a sign of diabetes.
Can You Prevent Type 2 Diabetes?
When you factor in the health risks of diabetes, along with the cost of diabetes medications your best bet is to try to avoid developing the disease altogether. There are key things that you can do. To start off, you want to pay frequent visits to your doctor and get checkups. If you doctor ever tells you that you have pre-diabetes, it means that you are at high risk of developing the disease, but you do not have it yet. There are lots of changes that you can make to your lifestyle to protect yourself.
The first place you want to start is with exercise and activity. With that being said, there are people that are not overweight that do have type 2 diabetes, but the extra weight puts you at a greater risk. With a regular exercise routine of 30 minutes a day 5 days a week, and a high-fiber diet, you can fight back against diabetes.
Foods That Can Reduce Chances Of Diabetes
Choosing the right food is crucial when it comes to preventing diabetes. Below, you will discover some foods that can balance out your blood sugar levels and prevent you from developing diabetes.
- Apples– when you think about it, you might think that fruits would be bad for diabetes, because they contain so much sugar. However, due to their large content of vitamins and nutrients they can actually help prevent diabetes. Apples are amongst the best, because they are very rich in quercetin, which helps the body product insulin.
- Yogurt– tons of studies have been conducted on the effects of yogurt, and one proven effect was discovered. Yogurt greatly cuts the risk of diabetes. Not only is it high in protein, but also capable of preventing spikes in high blood sugar levels.
Non-Sulfonylurea
The Food & Drug Administration has approved non-sulfonylureas for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Biguanides are classed as a non-sulfonylurea, which works by inhibiting the glucose production in the liver. The only biguanide available on the market is Metformin, a very commonly prescribed medication for type 2 diabetes.
The Risks Factors Of Type 2 Diabetes
As you likely already know, there are certain lifestyle choices that are commonly linked to the development of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, it may be possible to completely avoid this disease by making healthy lifestyle changes. First and foremost, you need to realize that obesity is a common cause of diabetes. Having more fatty tissue can make your cells far more resistant to insulin. In return, this can directly lead to the development of diabetes. Inactivity is another major problem. Sitting around for long periods each day could eventually lead to this condition.
Physical activity can help you avoid falling prey to diabetes. This is the case, because exercise helps you lose weight, use glucose, and also increases your cells sensitivity to insulin. Additional risks factors can be found below.
- A history of diabetes in the family
- Certain races are more susceptible
- Risk tends to increase with age
- High blood pressure
By taking steps to improve your health, you can greatly reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. If you wish to live a happy and healthy life, you will definitely want to consider improving your health today.
Common Medications For Type 2 Diabetes
There is an abundance of medications that are commonly utilized for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The majority of consumers are aware that insulin can help. Insulin can be very expensive and this is why many people prefer to purchase Canadian Insulin. Alternatively, your doctor may prescribe you with another drugs, such as Biguanides, DPP IV inhibitors, SGL T2 inhibitors or alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. The right medicine for you will depend solely on your current circumstances. Make sure you consult with your doctor thoroughly, so you can find a medication that will work right for you.