Blood Sugar Level is the level of sugar or glucose found in the blood. For a healthy diabetic adult the normal sugar level in a fasting condition should be between 70-130 mg/dL.It should be less than 180 mg/dL after two hours of eating.
An organ named pancreas is located behind your stomach which releases a hormone called insulin. Insulin helps in moving glucose to your cells so that it can be used for energy. It also signals your body to store glucose in the liver which is used later when it is needed and not released until your blood sugar level is down.
If the level of sugar becomes high in the blood it leads to a disease known as diabetes. Diabetes is of two types -
diabetes
(A) Type 1 diabetes - It occurs when your immune system itself destroys beta- cells which are the cells that produce insulin. These cells are found in your pancreas. It is also called juvenile diabetes. It is more common in children and young people.
What are the causes of Type 1 diabetes?
1.Family History - There is a great chance of a child to get Type 1 diabetes if both parents have/had this type of diabetes. Chances are even more of getting it from father rather than from mother or sibling.
2.Virus - Sometimes a particular virus disintegrates beta-cells and causes insulin deficiency. The disruption of more than 90% of beta-cells results in Type-1 diabetes.
(B) Type 2 diabetes - It occurs when your body becomes insulin resistant and the cells don't get enough insulin and the level of glucose increases in the blood.
What are the main causes of Type 2 diabetes?
1.Genetics - It can be hereditary. If someone's mother/father suffers from diabetes then the person has an increased chance of developing it. But it is not necessary .
2.Lack of physical activity - Exercise helps in lowering the blood glucose level and making your body sensitive to insulin. So you should always keep a quick sugar food with you during exercise. Exercise causes the liver to release glucose in the blood. This increased level of glucose stimulates pancreas to release more insulin and increases the body's ability to response to insulin. But people who have blood sugar level higher than 300 mg/dL and having ketones should not exercise.If blood sugar level is higher than 300 mg/dL and don't have ketones, then they should exercise carefully and should take the advice of doctor before doing exercise.
3.Increased weight - If you are overweight and overeat, it stresses the membrane of your cells called endoplasmic reticulum. When it becomes harder for the endoplasmic reticulum to process the nutrients it signals the cells to repress the insulin receptors on the surface of the cells.It leads to insulin resistance and increases the level of glucose in the blood. Visceral fat i.e the deposition of extra fat around the internal organs lead to insulin resistance.
4.Age - With advanced age, the risk factors for Type 2 diabetes also increase, that leads to an increase in insulin resistance.
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
The symptoms of Type 1 diabetes appear more quickly as compared to Type 2 diabetes. However the symptoms of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are common. These are -
2.Feeling more thirsty
3.Fatigue
4.Weight loss
5.Blurred vision
6.Swollen gums
7.Cuts and wounds take more time to heal
What is the treatment of diabetes?
It is very important to treat and control diabetes otherwise it can cause serious health complications such as heart attack, kidney problems, damage nerves, eye diseases, gum problems etc.
1.You need to take insulin daily if you have Type 1 diabetes. You should check your blood sugar levels daily and count your carbohydrate intake so that you will be able to manage the amount of insulin to be injected according to it. In addition to this you should manage a healthy lifestyle.
2.Exercise regularly as adviced by your doctor to avoid the risk of other health problems associated with it. If you have Type 2 diabetes you should take a healthy diet and work out regularly which will help you to control your weight and manage diabetes. Along with this you need to take tablets and insulin regularly.
How to prevent diabetes?
Some important tips are given below that help to prevent diabetes.
1.Exercise
2.Stop smoking
3.Fiber rich diet
4.Weight loss
5.Avoid sweetened beverages
6.Maintaining level of vitamin D
7.Eating low carbohydrate diet
8.Minimize eating processed food
9.Green tea
10.Herbs such as curcumin, berberine etc.
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