Diabetes: Outsmart the monster.

"Three bottles of coke, two pie, one doughnut, and peanut, please," Joy said to the vendor. "Are you buying for me, too?" Kike teased. "In your dreams." "Don't tell me you're eating all these alone. You'd come down with diabetes." "Said by doctor who? I'm twenty-two not fifty, and I'm not obese." "Not only old and obese people have diabetes." "All I know is I'm young and not too fat, I can eat whatever I like. And I'm studying, my brain needs glucose. Three bottles of coke in a day isn't a bad idea." "If you say so," Kike said and shrugged.
Yes, both girls were right in one way or the other. Joy was correct by saying her brain needed glucose and Kike was right about warning her that she could come down with diabetes. What then was wrong? Joy's belief!
Diabetes Mellitus (DM), commonly known as diabetes, is a chronic lifelong disease in which there are high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period, resulting from inability of the body to utilize the energy found in food. This life threatening disease is divided into four; Type 1, Type 2, Gestational, and secondary diabetes, which is caused by underlying diseases. Type 1 is caused by inability of the body to produce insulin, an hormone responsible for sugar uptake by the body cells. Gestational diabetes is pregnancy induced diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, which is the focus of this article, results when the body cells are resistant to insulin.
Type 2 DM is the commonest type of diabetes, about 90%. It has a gradual onset and may present with symptoms including frequent urination, increased thirst, unexplained weight loss and increased hunger. Although, it is usually associated with obesity, normal weighted people can also develop it. Other risk factors include sedentary lifestyle, family history, increased consumption of sugar and saturated fat.
Diabetes is a life threatening disease that results into terrible complications when not properly managed, e.g. blindness from retinopathy, leg ulcer, skin problems, to mention but a few, but as dreadful as this disease is, it can be outsmarted. You only need to...
1) Shed that weight: lose excess weight. Check your BMI, anything greater than 30 increase your risk. So do justice to it before it does to you.
2) Eat right: this is major when trying to outsmart diabetes. Go veggie often times and limit red meat. Choose the right appetizer, fruits or salad is great, but saturated fat and highly sugary food increase your risk. Indeed the brain needs glucose, but don't overdo it. Let your food be commensurate to your activity level. Three bottles of coke in a day is definitely a NO, except you dredge well or fell large trees manually. Befriend cereals, whole grain diet can help stabilize your blood sugar, and even reduce risk for breast cancer and stroke. Watch out for hidden sugar, e.g corn sweetener, fructose, glucose gel, dextrose, they all increase risk. Eating at eateries and restaurant should also be minimized. Watch it!
3) Exercise: this is often said but rarely obeyed. Ditch your car, park at the end of the garage, and take a walk. About thirty-five minutes brisk walking per day largely cuts your risk. Even if you didn't lose weight, you'd be healthier. Simple exercises, including morning jogging or walking, would perform miracles.
4) Unwind daily: chronic stress does a huge damage to the body and increase blood sugar. Take time off work to rest. Take slow deep breaths when you feel boxed in, or before starting an activity. Don't overwork yourself. Relax. Associate with loved ones, talk about things bothering you, and laugh heartily.
5) Sleep adequately: at least 6 hours sleep is recommended to refreshen the body and cut your risk of diabetes. Ignore that late night movie and sleep. Too little sleep keeps your nervous system alert and interfere with hormones production.
6) Medical test: early detection of high blood sugar can help in managing it. Take a blood test yearly. Don't self-medicate, obey prescriptions, and report any health issue promptly to the hospital.
Diabetes is real and a monster. Be sure to outsmart it. Prevention is always cheaper and better than cure.