Diabetes: These early signs can help you to reduce your risk

New Delhi : Talk about diabetes and you will find one in every family. This one health condition is increasing at alarming rate and now, it has become a serious matter of concern. Official data states that over 50.8 million people suffer from diabetes and India is considered as the ‘diabetes capital” of India. According to the International Diabetes Federation, nearly 9% of the India’s population is likely to be affected from diabetes by 2030

What exactly is diabetes

Cells in our body demands sugar to work normally. Sugar gets into the cells with the help of a hormone called insulin. “If there is not enough insulin or if the body stops responding to insulin, sugar builds up in the blood. That is what happens to people with diabetes,” explains Dr Sandeep Sharma, general physician and diabetologist, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai.

The risk of developing diabetes just because of the frequent consumption of processed food. Mahesh Jayaraman, co-founder, sepalika.com says, “These days, it is an incredibly common trend to hang out at cafes where it is hard to find even a single item on the menu that is healthy.” Couple that with a sedentary lifestyle, high stress levels and irregular sleeping patterns, and you are likely be on the fast track to diabetes.

Take a look at some prime symptoms of diabetes and consider visiting your health physician at regular intervals:

1) Darkening of certain parts of the body parts like such as behind the neck, armpits and the groin are insulin sensitive areas. 

2) Feeling tired for no hard work which is a sign that cells in the body are unable to find sugar which is present in the blood

3) Feeling excessively thirst and frequent urination

4) Poor vision since blood vessels in the eyes get easily damaged by a corrosive and inflammatory element such as excess blood sugar

In case of diabetes, prevention is the best cure. People who are suffering from this disorder are advised to lose weight to improve health and blood sugar control. “Being active can also help prevent or control the disorder. One can prevent the occurrence of diabetes by including lesser carbs in the diet, with regular exercise, weight reduction, quitting addiction and regular health checkups,” says Dr Sharma.