Diabetes Symptoms 7 Early Signs for Type 1 and Type 2

Diabetes is a disease that affects how your body uses glucose (sugar). When you eat foods that contain carbohydrates, such as bread, your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which is absorbed into your bloodstream.

In a healthy person, the beta cells in an organ called the pancreas release a hormone called insulin. Insulin acts as a key to allow glucose to enter cells in your body. Once inside, blood sugar is used as an energy source. In diabetes, sugar cannot enter the cells, causing symptoms of diabetes.

Types of diabetes

The two most common types of diabetes are type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

About 5-10% of diabetes is type 1. In type 1 diabetes, the body's own immune system attacks the pancreas, destroying beta cells that normally produce insulin. Since the body is unable to produce insulin, glucose builds up in the bloodstream. To treat type 1 diabetes, people inject insulin.

A healthy lifestyle is also recommended for managing type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is often diagnosed in children, although it can also be diagnosed in adults.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 to 95% of diabetes cases. In type 2 diabetes, insulin does not work properly. This is called "insulin resistance". Insulin cannot open the doors of your cells and glucose builds up in the blood.

Type 2 diabetes is treated with medication, diet and exercise. Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in adults. Unfortunately, due to the unhealthy lifestyles of our modern society, health professionals are starting to see symptoms of type 2 diabetes in young children.

Pre-diabetes occurs when a person's blood sugar is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Normal fasting blood sugar is less than 100 mg / dL. If someone has prediabetes, their fasting blood sugar will be between 100 and 125 mg / dL. A1C, a 3-month average blood sugar measure, is normally less than 5.7%. For a person with prediabetes, it will be between 5.7 and 6.4%.

A person with prediabetes may have no symptoms of diabetes.

Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar during pregnancy. After the baby is born, the blood sugar returns to normal. Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

What are the causes of diabetes?

For people with type 1 diabetes, scientists don't know why the body attacks the pancreas. There are many studies underway to try to identify different immune markers and genetic variations to help researchers better understand type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes appears to be caused by a combination of genetics, environment and lifestyle. The main culprit is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance increases your blood sugar, damaging the cells of the pancreas that release insulin. Less insulin is produced, contributing to increased blood sugar levels, further damaging the pancreas. This creates a vicious circle.

Saturated fat

Fats, especially saturated fats, contribute to insulin resistance. Saturated fat adheres to insulin receptors, preventing insulin from unlocking cell doors.

Eat foods high in saturated fat such as fried foods, bacon, butter, cream, cheese, high-fat dairy products, salami, sausage, berries and fatty cuts of meat such as beef, pork and poultry with skin, increases insulin resistance. Fortunately, a low-fat diet reverses insulin resistance.

Abdominal fat

Another risk factor that contributes to insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes is the fat around the belly, called abdominal fat. Abdominal fat blocks insulin receptors. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is also a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. PCOS causes defects in insulin and insulin receptors.

Inactivity increases insulin resistance, but exercise improves insulin sensitivity and lowers blood sugar. Exercise makes your cells appear and open to let in sugar and lower blood sugar. An exercise session can lower your blood sugar by up to 24 hours.

7 first symptoms of diabetes

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes can be similar, but symptoms of type 1 diabetes can occur quite suddenly. If you have symptoms of diabetes, call your doctor for a diabetes test. The most common symptoms of diabetes are increased thirst, urination and fatigue.

1. Increased thirst

Failure to quench your thirst can be a symptom of diabetes. All of this extra sugar in your blood forces fluid out of your cells and into your bloodstream.

Since your cells are "thirsty", they send a message to your brain to drink more.

2. Increased urination

This symptom goes hand in hand with increased thirst. Not only does all of the extra fluid that has moved from your cells into the bloodstream help to pee all the time, but the extra fluids you drink must also go somewhere.

The sweet-smelling pee can also be a symptom of diabetes. The sugar in your bloodstream enters your urine.

3. Fatigue

Sugar normally acts as an energy source for your cells. In diabetes, sugar cannot get inside your cells and be used for energy. Since your cells are unable to use this energy source, you feel tired and tired.

4. Unexplained weight loss

On the surface, losing weight may seem like a good thing. But when you lose weight because of diabetes, you lose muscle tissue as well as fat.

Your cells cannot use sugar in your bloodstream, so they break down your muscle tissue for energy.

5. Blurred vision

High blood sugar causes water in the lens, causing swelling.

 Even after you control your blood sugar, it can take 6 weeks or more and your vision will return to normal.

6. non-healing wounds

When your blood sugar is high, it covers your immune system with a sticky layer of sugar, which makes it difficult to function properly. In addition, bacteria feed on the extra sugar in your blood, which helps them thrive. The combination of these two things prevents the sores from healing.

7. Burning, numbness or tingling in the feet or hands

High blood sugar damages your nerves and prevents them from functioning properly. This can cause a burning, numbness or tingling sensation in the feet and / or hands.

People with type 1 diabetes who have uncontrolled blood sugar are at risk for diabetic ketoacidosis. Unlike the other diabetes symptoms listed, diabetic ketoacidosis is a serious complication of diabetes. The combination of low insulin and high glucose results in a rapid conversion of fat into ketones.

Ketones build up in the bloodstream and become toxic. The symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis can be similar to the symptoms of diabetes, but you can also have fruity breath. If you check your blood sugar and it is above 240 mg / dL and / or you check your urine and it contains ketones, call your doctor immediately! Diabetic ketoacidosis is a life-threatening medical emergency.

Prevention

There is no way to prevent type 1 diabetes. It is a condition that can be managed by frequent blood sugar checks and insulin delivery.

On the other hand, people at risk for type 2 diabetes can delay or even prevent the onset of diabetes with healthy lifestyle changes. The diabetes prevention program has shown that with positive changes, people reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58% over 3 years.

The 2 main objectives of the diabetes prevention program are to lose 7% of your body weight and 150 minutes of exercise each week. This means that if someone weighs 250 pounds, they will want to lose 18 pounds over 6 months and exercise for at least 30 minutes 5 days a week. You can ask your doctor to refer you to the diabetes prevention program.

Exercise

If you're new to exercise, choose an exercise that you enjoy and can see you do for the long haul. Brisk walking, swimming, dancing, weight training, and biking are all ideas. You can find many free exercise classes on the Internet or even with your cable plan. Many gyms offer a week of free lessons, so you can go "shopping" to find something you like.

Nutrition

Although exercise is important for health, your nutrition is essential for weight loss. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit. The Mediterranean diet and dietary approaches to stop hypertension are recommended by the American Diabetes Association to help you lose weight and improve your nutrition.

Eat lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, lean protein and low-fat dairy products while avoiding saturated fats, processed meats and sweets. By making healthy changes, you may be able to stop type 2 diabetes and avoid any symptoms of diabetes!

How does diabetes make you feel?

People with diabetes can be affected physically and emotionally. I worked as a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator (now a certified diabetes care and education specialist) for 4 years to help individuals manage their diabetes. Some people did not "feel" anything with their diabetes.

They told me they felt good and saw no reason to change their lifestyle. Others felt tired all the time and were relieved to find out why. Some patients were very sick and had cuts that did not heal. Others were extremely thirsty.

One patient who tried to lose weight was disappointed when she discovered that she had diabetes. She felt that she had only lost weight because of her diabetes and not her hard work.

Some patients were ashamed or guilty of their diagnosis of diabetes. Others were sobbing in my office, terrified of losing their feet or going blind. Some were determined to control their diabetes, motivated to make changes and reduce their risk of long-term complications. Whatever you feel is valid.

Can you have diabetes without knowing it?

You can absolutely have diabetes without knowing it, especially type 2. Diabetes mellitus often goes up over time, so it can be higher than normal but not high enough for symptoms. Therefore, your doctor should test diabetes in everyone over the age of 45. If a person is at high risk, they can be tested earlier.

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include obesity, family history, history of gestational diabetes, ethnicity such as African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, and Pacific Islanders.