Diabetes is a major lifestyle disease associated with excess glucose in the blood. It is a chronic condition that occurs when the pancreas ceases to produce sufficient insulin or when the body fails to effectively use the insulin it produces. The hormone insulin, produced by the pancreas, helps maintain normal blood glucose level.

Research suggests that uncontrolled and untreated diabetes can have grave short and long-term consequences including blindness, risk of stroke, heart disease, nerve disease and kidney failure.

Find out if you are at risk for developing diabetes by using the Medindia calculator.

What are the risk factors of diabetes?

• Heredity or Family History: You are at a higher risk of developing diabetes if there is a history of incidence in your family, that is, if your parents, grandparents or siblings have been diagnosed with diabetes.
• Overweight: Keep healthy weight. Excess fatty tissue makes your cells resistant to insulin.
• High blood pressure: A blood pressure above 140/90 puts you at a risk of diabetes.
• Unhealthy eating: Unhealthy food habits can bring diabetes knocking at you door. Fried foods, fast foods, sugary drinks and beverages are best avoided if you want to keep diabetes at bay.
• Sedentary Lifestyle: A sedentary life is not recommended if you are to stay away from diabetes risk. Regular physical activity keeps your weight in control and stimulates your cells to become insulin-sensitive.
• Ethnicity: While the reason remains unknown, certain ethnicity types, like Africans, Hispanics, American Indians and Asian Americans, are found to be more prone to diabetes risk.
• Abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels: Low levels of HDL or ‘good’ cholesterol can increase your risk of diabetes. People with high levels of triglycerides, another type of fat carried in the blood, also have an increased risk ofthe disease.
• Gestational diabetes: Your risk of developing prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes increases if you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Delivering a large baby, over 9 pounds or 4 kgs, also puts you in the risk zone.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): This is a common lifestyle condition that leads to scanty or irregular menstruation, along with other symptoms like obesity and excess hair growth. Women diagnosed with PCOS can be at risk of developing diabetes at a later stage.

What is Type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes, is usually found in children and young adults. It is much less common that Type 2 diabetes, affecting only 5% of people who are diagnosed with this silent killer disease.

In patients with Type 1 diabetes, the immune system destroys the beta cells in the body, thereby stopping the production of insulin, which is produced by these cells. Regular insulin injections and tracking the blood glucose levels can enable Type 1 diabetes patients to live long, healthy lives.

What is Type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, in which the body fails to produce sufficient insulin or the produced insulin is not used properly. While this form of diabetes can lead to severe health complications, it can also be managed with proper care and treatment. Monitor your blood glucose levels, take insulin to lower the sugar in your blood, maintain healthy weight and eating habits, and exercise regularly.

What should be the targets for glucose level for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes patients?