Type 2 diabetes is basically a lifelong disease that prevents your body from using insulin the way it should. People who are having type 2 diabetes possess insulin resistance. People who are middle-aged or older are at a higher risk to have this type of diabetes. But type 2 diabetes also affects kids and teenagers, mainly due to childhood obesity.- Says Dr. Ayush Chandra who is one of the best diabetologist in model town, Ghaziabad.
Signs and Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes
The symptoms of type 2 diabetes are often so mild that you might even not notice them. About 8 million people that have it do not know it. Symptoms include:
• Being very thirsty
• Peeing tons
• Blurry vision
• Tingling or numbness in your hands or feet
• Fatigue/feeling wiped out
• Wounds that do not heal
• Yeast infections that keep returning
• Feeling hungry
• Weight loss without trying
• Getting more infections
If you’ve got dark rashes around your neck or armpits, see your diabetologist. These are commonly known as keratosis nigricans, and that they are often signs that your body is gradually becoming immune to insulin.
Causes of Type 2 Diabetes
Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin. It helps your cells turn glucose, a kind of sugar, from the food you get energy. People with type 2 diabetes make insulin, but their cells don’t use it as they are supposed to.
At first, your pancreas makes more insulin but eventually, it can’t continue, and therefore the glucose builds up in your blood instead.
Usually, there are several things that might cause type 2 diabetes. they could include:
• Genes- Scientists have found that genes are also responsible or type 2 diabetes as different bits of DNA that affect how your body makes insulin.
• Extra weight- Being overweight or obese can cause insulin resistance, especially if you carry your extra pounds around your stomach then it is even more harmful & increases the risk.
• Metabolic syndrome- People with insulin resistance often have a gaggle of conditions including high blood glucose, extra fat around the waist, high BP, and high cholesterol and triglycerides.
• Too much glucose from your liver- When your blood glucose is low, your liver makes and sends out glucose. After you eat, your blood glucose level goes up, and in normal cases your liver will usually store its glucose for later. But some people’s livers don’t. They keep releasing sugar.
• Bad communication between cells- Sometimes, cells send the incorrect signals or don’t devour messages correctly. When these problems impacts how your cells produce and use insulin or glucose, a sequence reaction can cause diabetes.
• Broken beta cells- If the cells that make insulin send the incorrect amount of insulin at the incorrect time, your blood glucose gets thrown off. High blood glucose can damage these cells, too.
Type 2 Diabetes Risk Factors
Certain risk factors make it more likely that you’ll get type 2 diabetes. The more of those that apply to you, the higher your chances of getting type 2 diabetes are. Some things are associated with who you are:
• Age- 45 or older
• Family- A parent, sister, or brother with diabetes
• Ethnicity- Native American, African American, Asian American, Alaska Native, Hispanic or Latino, or Pacific Islander American
Risk factors associated with health:
• Prediabetes
• Heart and vessel disease
• High BP
• Low HDL (“good”) cholesterol
• High triglycerides
• Being overweight or obese
• Having a baby who weighed more than 9-10 pounds
• Gestational diabetes while you were pregnant
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Depression
Other things that raise your risk of diabetes revolves around your daily habits and lifestyle. These are those you can easily do something about:
• Getting little or no exercise
• Smoking
• Stress
• Sleeping insufficient or an excessive amount of
Type 2 Diabetes Treatment
Managing type 2 diabetes includes a mixture of lifestyle changes and medications.
• Lifestyle changes- You may be able to reach your target blood glucose levels with diet and exercise alone.
• Weight loss- Dropping extra pounds can help. While losing 5% of your weight is good, losing a minimum of 7% and keeping it off seems to be ideal. Meaning someone who weighs 180 pounds can change their blood glucose levels by losing around 13 pounds.
• Healthy eating- There’s no specific diet chart for type 2 diabetes. A registered dietitian can teach you about carbs and assist you make a diet plan you’ll persist with. Focus on eating fewer calories, adding veggies and fruits to your diet, cutting back on refined carbs, especially sweets, getting more fiber.
• Exercise- attempt to get 30 minutes to 1 hour of physical activity a day. You can walk, bike, swim, or do anything that gets your pulse up. Pair that with strength training, like yoga or a little bit of weightlifting. If you’re taking a medicine that lowers your blood glucose, you would possibly need a snack before a workout.
• Watch your blood glucose levels- counting on your treatment, especially if you’re on insulin, your doctor will tell you how & when you would check your blood glucose levels.