What is Diabetes?

Diabetes, cardiovascular disease
and obesity are among the most concerning health conditions found
today. But what exactly is diabetes? Read on to find out more about the
basics of this health condition.

What is Diabetes?

Often referred to as diabetes mellitus, diabetes is nothing but a
group of metabolic disorders where the individual has high blood sugar
levels. This happens due to two possible reasons – the production of
insulin in the body of the individual may be inadequate, or the
individual’s body may not respond properly to insulin, or possibly even
both.


Type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body fails to produce enough
insulin is responsible for around 90% of all the cases of the disease
worldwide.

Who Should Get Tested for Diabetes?

There are several risk factors involved, which may raise the risk of
diabetes in an individual. If you fall under any of the following
categories, you may consider getting yourself tested for the disease.

• You are overweight:
  Being obese or overweight could put you at a huge risk of being affected
  by diabetes. It has been found that being overweight tends to cause the
  body to release certain chemicals that destabilize the body’s
  cardiovascular and metabolic systems, which in turn, raises the risk of
  diabetes.


• Someone from your family is diabetic: Having a family history of diabetes can put one at a much higher risk of being affected by the condition.


• You belong to a particular region: People of the Middle Eastern, South Asian or African descent are thought to have a higher risk of developing the disease.


• You are inactive: Living a sedentary lifestyle is thought to
  put one at a higher risk of being overweight, and therefore, more likely
  to fall prey to diabetes.


• You follow an unhealthy lifestyle:
  Those following an unhealthy lifestyle- minimal physical activity,
  alcohol and nicotine addictions and consumption of unhealthy foods are
  thought to be at a higher risk of the disease. In fact, a recent study
  has revealed how an individual consuming just one can of soda a day can
  be at a increased risk of being affected by the condition.


• You have low testosterone levels: Several studies have found
  that men having lower levels of the hormone testosterone are more likely
  to be affected by type 2 diabetes.

If you do fall under any of the above categories, you may need
to get yourself checked for diabetes. Diabetes is usually diagnosed by
the FPG (fasting plasma glucose) test.


Sadly, diabetes is a health condition that has no cure- it can only be managed by a proper approach.