"Early Symptoms of Diabetes: What to Watch For and How to Prevent It"

Intro: Diabetes is a serious disease that can lead to numerous complications and health problems including heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. Yet, the disease can occur very easily if one does not put effort into preventing it. In this post, we delve into the early symptoms of diabetes and how to prevent it.

1. What is diabetes, and why does it occur?

1. Diabetes refers to the body's inability to control the amount of insulin. The pancreas secretes insulin to help glucose flow in the bloodstream. The body suffering from diabetes cannot use or create insulin properly, losing the ability to manage blood sugar levels. Diabetes can occur because of both genetic (ethnicity, family history) and lifestyle factors (smoking, physical inactivity). There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational.

2. Early symptoms of diabetes

If one experiences these symptoms, they need to get their blood level checked:

1. Urinate (pee) a lot, often at night

2. Are very thirsty

3. Lose weight without trying

4. Are very hungry

5. Have blurry vision

6. Have numb or tingling hands or feet

7. Feel very tired

8. Have very dry skin

9. Have sores that heal slowly

10. Have more infections than usual

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/signs-symptoms/index.html 

3. How to prevent diabetes

   1. Be more physically active

      1. Physical activity lowers your weight and blood sugar levels, effectively preventing diabetes.

   2. Eat healthily 

      1. Promotes weight loss and reduced blood sugar

   3. Lose weight

      1. A study showed people who lost 7% body fat reduced the risk of diabetes by 60%.

https://idf.org/about-diabetes/what-is-diabetes/ 

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes 

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/symptoms-causes