Warning! You can be at risk of having diabetes even without sweet food preference

Diabetes is one of the chronic diseases caused by blood sugar levels that are higher than normal. Diabetes can be caused by both genetics and the environment. If you are not careful of diabetes, it may result in complications. Today, Muang Thai Life Assurance would like to introduce diabetes to you, especially the symptoms of diabetes and how to prevent diabetes to reduce the risks.

• Causes of diabetes 
• How many stages and types of diabetes are there?
• Symptoms of diabetes
• How to prevent diabetes 
  

Causes of diabetes

Risk factors for diabetes are firstly from eating habits, followed by unconscious genetic inheritance, including age, stress or complications from medication use. Diabetes is caused by the body having an abnormality in the process of converting blood sugar into energy. It is related to a hormone called insulin that carries blood sugar to the internal organs of the body to create energy. However, in diabetic patients, there is resistance to the hormone insulin which causes the hormone insulin to be unable to fully carry blood sugar to the body parts, resulting in higher blood sugar levels.

How many stages and types of diabetes are there?

How many stages does diabetes have? Many people may wonder, especially diabetic patients or those who wonder if they are experiencing the early symptoms of diabetes. We can separate the causes of diabetes into the following commonly found types

Diabetes can be separated into 2 main types.

• Type 1 is caused by the fact that the immune system destroys the beta cells of the pancreas are responsible for producing the hormone insulin, resulting in not being able to produce enough insulin to meet the body's needs. This results in higher blood sugar levels. Type 1 diabetes can occur during childhood and adolescence, especially between the ages of 4-7 years and 10-14 years.
• Type 2 can be found most often in over 95 percent of diabetics. The main cause is insulin resistance which results in insulin not being able to reduce blood sugar levels well. As a result, blood sugar levels increase. People at risk for type 2 diabetes include those who rarely exercise, who have high blood pressure and who are obese or overweight, for examples.

Diabetes is separated into 2 stages.

• The first stage: High blood sugar or suddenly increased blood sugar, such as 400-500, resulting in abnormal mineral salts and lack of water which can harm the body. The patient becomes lethargic or in a condition called sugar shock.
• Stage 2: A patient might have diabetes for a long time but cannot control the sugar levels, so it would cause the blood vessels to break down; blood vessels harden more easily and are easier to be narrowed. If the blood vessels throughout the body are narrowed, it also results in cerebral artery stenosis and continues to result in paresis and paralysis. Additionally, there may be coronary artery disease resulting in a lack of blood flow to the heart. If the blood vessels in the legs are narrowed, once a patient has a wound, it will heal slowly due to lack of blood flow. This situation is one of the reasons why patients have to have their legs amputated. We can say that diabetes affects every part of the body.

As mentioned, type 2 diabetes is currently the most found type, and it is mostly found in seniors or obese people, for examples.

Symptoms of diabetes

There are 2 types of symptoms caused by diabetes:

1. Symptoms caused by low blood sugar, such as sweating, heart palpitations, trembling hands, feeling hungry, feeling fatigued, weak arms and legs, confusion, loss of consciousness and seizures.

2. Symptoms caused by high blood sugar, such as frequent urination, thirst, weight loss, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, confusion, loss of consciousness and seizures.

How to prevent diabetes

From the above information, diabetes is a disease that can be caused by many factors. Some risk factors cannot be prevented, such as genetics, congenital disease, pregnancy, or medications prescribed by a doctor. However, in terms of factors that arise from inappropriate lifestyle behaviors, we can prevent these factors by following the advices as follows:

• Consume foods high in dietary fiber, such as green leafy vegetables.

• Exercise regularly.

• Control your weight to a reasonable level.

• Avoid sweet foods, such as sugary drinks, desserts and sweet fruits.
• Check blood sugar levels annually and regularly.

Who is at risk for diabetes?

• People who are overweight or have body mass index (BMI) of more than 23

• The ratio of waist circumference to

• Have a family history of diabetes

• Have a history of diabetes during pregnancy

• Have a history of high blood pressure
  

• Have other congenital diseases, such as hyperlipidemia, heart disease and blood vessel disease.