Diabetes has hidden dangers that begin before diagnosis and continue to get worse if certain steps are not taken to prevent complications that are the true "murderers" in terms of diabetes.
Statistics show that there are around 18 million diabetics in the United States, both type 1 and type 2. The number of people is surprising, including diabetics, who have no idea of the dangers facing a diabetic throughoutYour life.A diabetic, on equal terms, lives almost 10 years less than its non -diabetic counterpart on average.
Why do diabetics have shorter lives than non -diabetics?The answer is simple and complicated.Simple to explain in general terms, complicated in the medical sense.Without touring the complicated route in this article, I will try to give a simple and direct answer to the previous question.Diabetics live shorter lives than non -diabetic due to diabetic complications.
What are diabetic complications?
Diabetic complications are chronic medical conditions that begin to affect the body of diabetics.These complications are mainly due to a condition that the medical community had called "advanced glycation final products", which is simply "excess sugar" that saturates the interior of body cells.This condition also called AGE for abbreviation includes coronary artery disease, vascular disease, blindness, kidney disease, retinopathy (blindness) and loss of sensitivity in the hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy), among others.
Diabetes in the early stages does not produce symptoms.Unless you are during a medical routine examination, it is possible that a diabetic remains without diagnosing for years.It is during these years that the beginning of diabetic complications can be established due to excess sugar in cells (age).Statistics show that there is the possibility that more than 5 million people perform their normal lives while they have non -diagnosed diabetes.
Are diabetic complications a certainty?
Although the current consensus is that the formula for diabetic diabetes complications + time = complications.What this means is that there is a much greater potential that a diabetic is diagnosed with one or more diabetic complications over time.This is partly due to how well the individual monitors and controls his blood sugar.
The drastic increases and falls of blood sugar can be difficult for the body and excess sugar present in cells creates ravages in different nerves inside the body, as well as in capillaries, veins and arteries.Evidence to date shows that excellent blood sugar control and an active lifestyle contribute greatly to prevent and / or delay the appearance of diabetic complications.
The different types of diabetes
There are two types of diabetes: type one and type two.Type one attacks young children and adults and is characterized by the pancreas that does not produce insulin, which is a hormone that breaks down sugars and starches while converting them into energy.Type two generally occurs later in the life of an adult and is characterized by the fact that the pancreas cannot produce sufficient insulin due to several factors, one of them being obesity.
About 10 percent of diabetics are one type one, while the other 90 percent are type two.The main difference between the two is that type one diabetics are completely dependent on insulin and take daily injections, while type two have those who require insulin injections, while others can trust theoral medication and / or changes in diet and exercise.
The risk factors surrounding diabetes
There are several risk factors that can lead to a pre-diabetic to full-fledged diabetes.
1) Be overweight.
2) family history of diabetes,
3) Lack of proper exercise.
4) Background of gestational diabetes (occurs during pregnancy and generally disappears after childbirth).
5) Certain ethnic groups
People over 45 and who have one or more of the risk factors mentioned above should be done diabetes detection tests every year, preferably during an annual medical examination.It has been shown that people with these risk factors include most cases diagnosed with diabetes every year.
What evidence helps to diagnose cases of diabetes?
There are two main tests that are used to determine whether a person has glucose intolerance or not:
1) fast plasma glucose test
2) Oral glucose tolerance test
Both tests can determine glucose intolerance, which is where blood sugar is higher than it is considered normal.However, this is not always an indication of diabetes.
Can the beginning of diabetes be prevented?
People with the previous risk factors can go a long way for the prevention of the development of full -fledged diabetes when making significant changes in lifestyle.What are changes in lifestyle?Change unhealthy diets to others more friendly with blood sugar, exercise enough to help compensate for the increase in blood sugar levels and keep the body healthy and lose weight, especially if the medical community considers it obese.
If you are pre-diabetic, you must follow a strict diet for diabetics.Ask your health professional for a diet that meets that criterion and limit cakes, sweets, cookies and other things made of simple sugars.Eat small and nutritious meals and eat 5 times a day instead of only three.
