Who have Higher Risk of Diabetes?

Diabetes is a common disease that can affect men, women as well as children. There are many complications of diabetes so it is important to know the factors that can increase the risk of diabetes.

There are many factors that increase the risk of diabetes in an individual. This article is going to focus those factors in brief -

Genetic factors – Many separate genetic mechanisms increase the risk of diabetes and its various manifestations and these differ in type 1 and 2 diabetes.

Sugar intake – A high intake of sugar is certainly associated with a high prevalence of obesity. It is unlikely that sucrose has a specific diabetogenic effects.

Dietary restrictions – Restrictions on the food supply of a community affect diabetes. Rationing is beneficial to individuals susceptible to diabetes.

Certain diseases – A minority of cases of diabetes occur as a result of diseases which destroy the pancreas and lead to impaired secretion of insulin, e.g., pancreatitis, haemo-chromatosis, carcinoma of the pancreas and pancreatectomy.

Obesity – Although most type 2 diabetics are obese, only a minority of obese patients develop diabetes. Whether or not an obese patient develops diabetes properly depends on genetic factors. In obesity there is impaired insulin uptake by receptors in target tissues.

Dietary fiber – In many African countries the fiber content of the diet is high and prevalence of diabetes low. In prosperous communities this relationship tends to be reversed.

Acute stress – The normal glucose homeostasis in the body is achieved by a delicate interplay of various hormones. The body releases adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol hormones that raise blood glucose levels to provide a quick source of energy for coping with stress. In acute cases of stress blood glucose levels may rise quite profoundly and in extreme cases diabetic ketosis and coma also may result particularly in those with a genetic predisposition.

Malnutrition – Prolonged malnutrition can also lead to diabetes mellitus.

Infections – There is increasing evidence that type 1 diabetes, especially in the younger patients, follows a coxsackie or other virus infection. There is sometimes a long interval between the infection and the onset of symptoms. The virus may trigger an autoimmune reaction in the pancreatic islets and this impairs insulin secretion and ultimately destroys the β cells.

Diabetes and Obesity – How to Manage Them Together?

This article discusses the link between diabetes and obesity and how reducing weight can help in controlling blood sugar level. Diabetes can attack the heart, kidneys and any of the vital organs of the body. Since most diabetic are overweight, reduction in weight is advisable. This can be done by reducing the number of calories consumed per day. This will benefit to decrease the sugar level in blood. Exercise will be an added advantage as it increases the use of calories and reduction of weight will be faster.

If you take fewer calories than normally required you will reduce the weight. It is always advisable not to cut down calories drastically. It is better to have a slow weight loss for a prolonged period than to reduce drastically in a short period. The diet should be restricted in calories but full of vitamins and minerals.

Generally the diet recommended should contain a lot of green vegetables, fruits, salads, sprouted grains, curd, pulses and chapattis. Concentrated high calorie food should be avoided like cheese, butter, ghee, sweets, sugar, ice creams, cold drinks and alcohol.

Let us discuss how the low calorie diet brings down blood sugar. As the patient loses weight, the production of glucose by liver is slowed down. Insulin resistance comes down with the increase in the number of insulin receptors. The insulin action becomes more effective and the secretion of β cells is increased.

When the patient is given a low calorie diet, the calories are distributed throughout the day, evenly in major meals. The body should not be loaded with calories in one meal. This is essential as the metabolic activity of the body is impaired in diabetes.

If the blood sugar is high, insulin or other anti-diabetic drugs may be needed and then the time of meals should be adjusted according to medication. The quantity of drug is gradually reduced as the blood sugar level goes down and in most cases it can be completely withdrawn. A regular check of blood sugar level and regular consultation with a physician will be necessary for this purpose.

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