Going a little too often to the toilet, itching in your groin, feeling thirsty more often, general fatigue, blurred vision and a sudden loss of weight in a short amount of time are several indicators of diabetes type I. If you’re experiencing nausea, fruity breath odor or stomachache, it’s very likely y are suffering from ketoacidosis, which can be fatal. Diabetes type II has some of the same symptoms, which do not show themselves early on. If you happen to be overweight and aren’t physically active, monitor the blood glucose levels closely.
Tom Hanks himself has confessed on the Late Night Show with David Letterman that he had diabetes type 2 because he had been a total idiot regarding his diet and ignored the symptoms. He said that his drastic gaining and losing weight lead to this condition. That’s a valuable lesson for all of us and that’s why we shouldn’t be ignoring the most vital diabetes symptoms like:
- Urinating frequently, especially during the night, something known as nocturia.
- Itchiness in the groin or thrush which is a kind of yeast infection.
- Feeling thirsty.
- Feeling tired and lethargic.
- Sudden weight loss.
- Blurred vision which might lead to vision loss.
- Inhibited wound healing.
In this article we go into detail about what diabetes is, its two types and the symptoms.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition where the blood glucose levels are at a constant peak as the body’s cells can’t absorb it because of lowered or non-existent insulin production or because insulin is unable to help with the absorption of glucose. Of these two factors that lead to increased blood glucose levels, the former is what causes diabetes type 1 and the latter is what causes diabetes type 2.
First, let’s get into a more detailed description on how the body metabolizes glucose and how the process is disrupted in those suffering from diabetes.
How healthy people metabolize glucose
All the carbs, sugars, milk and all kinds of dairy are broken down into glucose in your stomach. Afterwards, it’s released into the intestines, from where it enters the bloodstream. How much glucose you have in your blood at a certain point in time is what the doctors call your current blood glucose level.
A certain amount of the glucose is absorbed by the liver cells and converted to glycogen, which is your body’s reserve energy source which is activated when you have low glucose levels.
If your body detects that there is an increase of blood glucose levels, the pancreas starts to release insulin. Insulin has the capacity to bind with the receptors on muscle cells and fat cells and the enable the glucose to pass inside the cells where it’s burned and used by the cells as energy source. For healthy people who don’t have diabetes, the insulin is at optimal levels and the metabolizing of glucose and release of energy is functioning properly.
What happens in people who have diabetes?
For diabetes patients, their fasting glucose levels are over 125 mg/dl and over 200 mg/dl approximately 2 hours after a meal.
The blood glucose levels increase naturally after eating a meal. But if the body produces insulin at low amounts or doesn’t produce it all, glucose levels will continue to rise. If blood glucose levels are over 140mg/dl 2 hours post-meal, one could be diagnosed as a pre-diabetic, and if they exceed 200mg/dl, one is definitely considered a diabetic.
Even in times of fasting, the liver releases a certain amount of glucose to compensate for the low glucose levels. If, after 8 hours of fasting, glucose levels exceed 107 mg/dl, that person is a pre-diabetic, and over 125 mg/dl, the person is diabetic.
Diabetes type I
Male teenagers are more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes type 1. Around 5-10% of diabetes patients have this type of diabetes, especially those aged fewer than thirty, and it can even affect some people before they turn fifteen, which is also the reason why it’s often called juvenile diabetes.
Diabetes type 2 is a chronic autoimmune disease, and it is very often inherited genetically. In this condition, the immune system destroys the beta cells in the pancreas which produce insulin. Because of this, glucose can’t pass into the cells with the help of insulin and glucose levels start building up, exceeding the normal range.
Diabetes Type II
Type 2 is a lot more common compared to type 1 and accounts for 90% of all diabetics, and the symptoms are mostly prevalent in people aged above 40, which is the reason it’s called adult-onset diabetes.
With diabetes type 2, there are two possible reasons for its development. Number one, the pancreas releases low amounts of insulin or number two, the cells develops insulin resistance, by not allowing the insulin to bind to receptors on the cells’ membrane which would normally allow the entrance of glucose into the cell.
Having large fat deposits, particularly visceral fat, has the capacity to reduce the ability of the cells to bind to the incoming insulin. And since muscles that are active use the bulk of the glucose circulating the body, inactive muscles will gradually become resistant to glucose intake.
Gestational Diabetes
Describing the diabetes types above might give the impression that every condition where blood glucose levels are high is some form of diabetes. But that is not the case. It’s very common for pregnant women to have raised glucose levels during the 3rd trimester, a condition known as gestational diabetes, which has the potential to develop into type II diabetes, although not always. The way pregnant woman can avoid this condition is by maintaining physical activity with exercises that are specially designed for pregnant women.
What are the most common symptoms of diabetes?
Symptoms of diabetes type 1 show up very quickly, usually in a matter of weeks, whereas the symptoms of diabetes type 2 can take years to show up, which can lead to some patients taking a long time to recognize them, worsening the situation. The symptoms of both types are quite similar since both types lead to raised glucose levels, a condition known as hyperglycemia. Here are the 7 most common ones:
Urinating frequently
Since the body’s cells don’t have or have lost the ability to absorb glucose coming to their membranes, the kidneys work in overdrive to eliminate as much of it as possible. This results, in the diabetic going to the bathroom a bit more often than a healthy person would, which leads to passing over five liters of urine per day. This doesn’t stop during nighttime, forcing the diabetic to wake up several times to go to the bathroom. This condition is also called nocturia. This will inevitably damage the kidneys.
Itchiness in your genitals and thrush
The high amount of glucose in the urine makes the genitals prone to developing thrush which eventually develops into a swelling and itching.
Increased thirst
Because of the water loss caused by the frequent bathroom visits, diabetics start to feel thirsty a lot more and their bodies need a lot more water in order to compensate for the loss.
Feeling tired and lethargic
Since the cells can’t take any glucose in, they can’t produce energy as well, which makes diabetics feeling a lot more tired faster.
Sudden weight loss
When glucose can’t be used as an energy source, the body begins to burn the fat deposits and muscle tissue, which leads to fat and muscle tissue loss.
Inhibited wound healing
Diabetes decreases the quantity and efficiency of EPCs (endothelial progenitor cells), whose function is to travel to injured areas and help with the formation of blood vessels and heal injuries quickly.
Blurred vision which can lead to total vision loss
The increased blood glucose levels cause the lens to take in more water from the rest of the body and start swelling. This results in a change in the lens’ shape which has an adverse effect on the eye’s ability to focus properly. This effect can be reversed with diabetes medications.
Hyperglycemia can take its toll on the small blood vessels found in the retina over the years and make them thin and weak. They can form micro-aneurisms, small pouches of blood, which release a protein known as exudate. When this protein starts leaking into the retina center, vision is permanently damaged.
Can one control the effects of diabetes?
Diabetes cannot be cured, but its effects can be controlled. The effects of diabetes type 2 can be controlled by having a diet low in fat and glucose and regular exercising, while taking medications and type 1 can be controlled by administering regular injections of insulin.
Patients with type 1 need to be extremely careful and avoid situations where the glucose levels plummet below the normal range, which leads to hypoglycemia, which can become extremely severe and lead to convulsions and loss of consciousness.
Look out for ketoacidosis
If you start experiencing symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis, chances are you are suffering from diabetes type 1. It has been proven that there was a bigger risk of developing diabetic ketoacidosis in people who suffer from diabetes type 1 in comparison to those who have type 2.
Ketoacidosis occurs when there’s a lack of insulin and the body starts breaking down fat and protein to use as an energy source, which is a process that produces acidic ketone bodies. Once blood and urine ketone levels exceed the normal range, the blood becomes more and more acidic. Ketoacidosis symptoms might be the first indicator that someone might be suffering from diabetes type 1.
If you experience any of the following symptoms showing up and developing within a 24-hour window, immediately see a doctor:
- Loss of appetite
- Fruity breath odor
- Nauseating feeling and vomiting
- Stomachache
- High temperature
- Reduced focus and alertness
- Stiffness in your muscles and cramps
Always remain vigilant when it comes to diabetes symptoms
When it comes to preventing diabetes, you should always closely monitor your health, watch out for possible symptoms and go on regular check-ups. Diagnosing it early on can greatly prolong your life. Stay vigilant, eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly and you will minimize the risk tremendously.
Related:
10 Foods That Help Regulate Blood Sugar And Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
How To Increase Insulin Sensitivity ; Turn Food Into Muscle Instead of Fat
Optimizing Insulin Sensitivity for Muscle Gain and Fat Loss
