Diabetes Type 2 – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Ways to Prevent

Diabetes is high blood glucose levels. It is a chronic medical condition which affects the way your body processes sugar in your blood stream. The pancreas produces a hormone called insulin, which helps move the glucose present in your food into your cells where it gets used to produce energy. The three main types of diabetes are: Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes & Gestational diabetes. In this post, we will focus on Diabetes Type 2.

Diabetes Type 2 is a particular type of diabetes where your body cells no more respond to the insulin, like they should. In this chronic disease, your body either does not produce insulin at all or it resists insulin. As the body isn’t able to effectively use insulin to provide glucose to cells, it looks for alternative methods. This can lead to several health problems.

If Type 2 diabetes is not controlled at the early stage then it can lead to chronically high blood glucose levels, causing several symptoms and potentially leading to serious health complications. This is the most common diabetes and it mostly affects the middle aged or older people.

That is the reason it becomes very essential to know its symptoms, understand the causes, take preventive measures and treatments available.

Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes Type 2

The signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes are almost negligible as they develop very slowly. Sometimes the symptoms can be so mild that one may not notice it at first. In fact, it is very common that you might be living with type 2 diabetes without knowing. The early symptoms include:-

• Increased thirst
• Frequent urination
• Increased hunger
• Unintended weight loss
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Frequent infections
• Being cranky
• Dry mouth
• Itchy skin

These are the symptoms which one tends to overlook. But with the passage of time, the symptoms become more severe and potentially dangerous.

When the glucose level in your body would have been high for a long time, you may notice these symptoms:-

• Neuropathy, the feeling of numbness in your extremities
• Pain in the foot
• Slow healing wounds
• Infection-Fungal
• A condition known as acanthosis nigricans, where dark patches start to appear on your skin.

Without proper treatment diabetes can become a life threatening disease. That’s why, if you see one or more of these symptoms, it is always advisable to see a doctor.

In case of any such symptoms, you can always reach out to us. We at Ufinity Life, provide you with professional and experienced doctors who will help to improve your existing condition. Our doctors will cater to all your needs. You can consult us 24/7 when you see these symptoms. Based on a   comprehensive study of your symptoms and past health issues, the doctors will create a holistic plan for you. The symptoms are the stage one, do not ignore them.

Causes of type 2 diabetes

Insulin hormone comes from the gland situated behind and below the stomach called pancreas. By the help of insulin glucose gets transported from your bloodstreams to the cells, throughout the body, where your cells turn glucose, from the food you eat into energy.

People with diabetes type 2 become resistant to insulin. Your body is no longer using the hormone efficiently. This forces your pancreas to work harder to produce more insulin. Over time, this damages cells in your pancreas. Eventually, your pancreas may not be able to produce any insulin. When enough insulin is not produced or your body do not use it efficiently, glucose starts building up in your bloodstreams. Your body starts starving for energy.

The real reason for what triggers this series of events is still unknown. Therefore, a combination of the following might result in type 2 diabetes.

• Sometimes it might be the cell dysfunction in the pancreas or the cell signalling and regulation. Cells send wrong signals or don’t pick up messages correctly. These problems affect how your cells make and use of insulin or glucose, thus a chain of reactions can lead to diabetes.
• Being overweight or obese is one of the main causes of insulin resistance, especially if you carry your extra pounds around your middle.
• Genetic predisposition also affects how your body makes insulin.
• It also maybe due to the Broken beta cells. If the cells that make insulin send out the wrong amount of insulin at the wrong time, your blood sugar gets thrown off. High blood sugar can damage these cells, too.
• According to researchers, sitting down for longer period of time can also result in slowing down the body’s mechanism. This will lead to type 2 diabetes.

Treatment of diabetes type 2

With proper care and treatment type 2 diabetes can be effectively managed. Remember the goal is to stay within a specific range.

Some tips to manage type 2 diabetes are:-

• Healthy eating habits- including fibre rich food and healthy carbohydrates in your diet like eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will help keep your blood glucose levels steady.
• Cutting back on refined carbs, especially sweets, animal fats, carbohydrates etc.
• Eat at regular intervals
• Eat less calories
• You must engage yourself in half an hour of aerobic activity daily. This will ensure that your heart is healthy. Exercise helps to control blood glucose therefore you can pair it with strength training, like yoga or weightlifting. If you take a medication that lowers your blood sugar, you might need a snack before a workout.

Not everyone with type 2 diabetes need to take insulin. It is crucial to take insulin as prescribed. Visiting a doctor will help you in recognizing the early symptoms of type 2 diabetes in every situation.

We at Ufinity Life understand your problem and the importance of getting the correct treatment. We will provide you with an experienced nurse who will help you set up your goals on the Ufinity app to review your daily progress, diet chart, insulin level in your body etc. We also ensure you regular counselling and guidance. A panel of experienced doctors will also look after your medication, exercise etc. to ensure your blood sugar levels remain under control.

A lifelong disease like type 2 diabetes needs the collaborative work of patient and the doctor. Keeping that in mind, we will also setup a proactive monitoring of your vitals, your required diet chart, reminders for your medications all these will be kept in track to minimize the complications and ensure your speedy recovery. We will guide you throughout the process, warn you about the side effects and all the other required actions that need to be taken.

The Ufinity Life care team will be available on chat, audio and video calls on the Ufinity Life platform from time to time to address your concerns and respond to emergency support requests 24/7.

Ways to prevent type 2 diabetes

• Cutting off processed food

Minimising the consumption of processed food can improve your health. Studies show that processed foods contain high amount of vegetable oil, refined grains and additives which cause heart disease, diabetes, obesity etc. The study also found that poor-quality diets that were high in processed foods increased the risk of diabetes by 30%. However, including nutritious whole foods helped reduce this risk.

• Optimize vitamin D level

People with deficiency of vitamin D, have a greater risk of all types of diabetes. According to a study, people with high level of Vitamin D in their blood have 43% less chance of getting diabetes. Taking Vitamin D supplements will help in improving the insulin producing cells, normalise the blood sugar level and significantly reduce the chances of diabetes.

• Avoid Sedentary Behaviour

If you lead a sedentary lifestyle by sitting for most of the day with no physical exercise, you have a high risk of diabetes. To prevent diabetes you should engage in physical activities more. You can start by taking stairs instead of elevators, doing some physical exercise, walking for a few minutes per day etc.

• Low-carb diet

Following a keto diet can help you avoid diabetes. They have consistently been shown to lower blood sugar and insulin levels, increase insulin sensitivity and reduce other diabetes risk factors. Minimising carb intake will help maintain your blood sugar level after you eat. Thus your body will need less insulin to maintain the blood sugar within healthy levels.

• Stop smoking

Smoking or second hand smoke exposure, contribute to type 2 diabetes. According to a research, smoking was found to increase the risk of diabetes by 44% in average smokers and 61% in people who smoked more than 20 cigarettes daily. Quitting smoking was seen to reduce the risk of diabetes.

• Weight loss in case of obese

The majority of the people who develop type 2 diabetes are obese. Hence it is highly recommended to start losing weight in case you are over-weight. Excess visceral fat promotes inflammation and insulin resistance, which significantly increase the risk of diabetes. Although losing even a small amount of weight can help reduce this risk, studies show that the more you lose the more benefits you’ll experience.

• Stay hydrated

Increased consumption of water will lead to better blood sugar control, and insulin response. Drinking water instead of other beverages will help control the blood sugar and insulin level, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes.

• Workout regularly

Performing physical activity on a regular basis helps prevent diabetes. Exercise increases the insulin sensitivity of your cells. So when you exercise, less insulin is required to keep your blood sugar levels under control. Working out more frequently seems to lead to improvements in insulin response and function. Thus, being physically active will increase insulin secretion and sensitivity which will prevent the progression of diabetes.

Especially for diabetes, we at Ufinity Life provide you a dedicated Health Coach and an experienced Diabetologist will help you manage your blood sugar levels better by improving your diet, physical activity & medication adherence. We will always stay in your contact and ensure that, your Blood Glucose control can be improved with our regular coaching and adherence. Your coach will help you to set your goals and monitor your HbA1c levels on a regular basis with automated reminders & alerts and intervene as needed to minimize complications that can lead to hospitalization. We provide you the access to medical care from the safety and comfort of your home throughout the period of treatment and are available for your service all the time.

Join hands with us and ensure your safety and wellbeing.

Recommended Read: COVID-19: Early Symptoms And How To Treat At Home

 

Reference:

1. https://www.diabetes.org/research/research-impact/recent-advances
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7328526/
3. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-6460-7
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4311308/
5. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/disease-prevention/diabetes-prevention/preventing-diabetes-full-story/#:~:text=A%202019%20meta%2Danalysis%20that,but%20also%20less%20healthy%20plant