Losing weight may help prevent diabetes to greater extents. If you have type 2 diabetes, Rishi Hospital suggests you to lose weight and become more physically active. This will help you keep the blood sugar levels within the limit.

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Weight loss and prevention of diabetes

As per the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a clinical study conducted by the National Institutes of Health; losing five to seven percent of your body weight and doing regular mild exercises like brisk walking for at least 150 minutes a week can help prevent type 2 diabetes.

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How to know if I am overweight?

Counting two figures you can understand whether you are overweight or not. The first one is the body mass index –BMI score, while the second one is waist size in inches. Any BMI score of below 25 is considered normal and anything beyond this point is overweight (up to 29.9 BMI) and obesity (30+ BMI score).

Women and men with waist sizes of over 35 and 40 inches respectively are said to be overweight. They are prone to have many diseases which are associated with obesity or overweight.

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Overweight or obesity is associated with a number of health problems including diabetes. It increases the risks of diabetes, heart diseases and certain types of cancer among others. Overweight in pregnant ladies affect the babies even. Here Rishi Hospital explains how the overweight affects diabetes.

Health Problems associated with overweight include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, certain types of cancer, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, heart diseases and strokes, kidney disease and pregnancy problems.

Link between Type 2 Diabetes and Overweight

Type 2 diabetes is one of the leading causes of deaths across the globe. Many factors like family history or genes, lifestyle, poor diet, low activity level, etc. cause type 2 diabetes. Apart from these, obesity or overweight also remains one of the major causes.

A person is said to have diabetes when his blood sugar levels are above normal. High blood sugar can lead to various health issues including heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, etc.

Overweight and diabetes

Though the reasons are unclear, studies and researches by Rishi Hospital and others have proven that over 87% of adults with diabetes are overweight or obese. This shows that fat or obese people are more prone to be affected with deadly disease.

Overweight is said to directly affect the functions and production of insulin which is the key hormone managing the blood sugar levels in the blood.

About Rishi Hospital

Rishi Hospital and Research Centre is one of the most trusted names for Ayurveda treatments for diabetes. Having a history that dates back to two centuries, they hold it as their mission to deliver the patients best of treatments possible.

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If you can recognize the early signs or symptoms of type 2 diabetes, then it will be easy for the doctor to diagnose the sickness and begin the treatment sooner.

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For a diabetic person to lead happy life he needs to begin the treatment at the earliest. Secondly, he (or she) needs to control blood sugar levels by regular exercise like walking, taking in proper diet and changing the lifestyle.

If these work together, then one’s health conditions will improve gradually. It will also reduce the risks of complications associated with diabetes.

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Failing to begin the treatment at the right time may cause severe complications or lead to life-threatening situations. Some of the most feared complications of diabetes include heart diseases, stroke, and kidney disease.

Other complications include nerve damage, foot problems, eye and vision related issues, etc. It may also cause sexual problems in both man and woman.

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Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome (HHNS) is another complication. HHNS triggers severe and persistent hike in blood sugar levels causing the diabetic to be hospitalized. This complication mostly affects the older people.

Controlling the blood sugar levels within the border remains crucial for preventing these complications to a great extent. Letting the blood sugar levels to remain uncontrolled is equal to risking one’s life or inviting health complications.

Over the past couple of decades, Diabetes has grown as one of the major threats to human life. As this sickness can affect important internal organs like the heart and kidneys, one needs to be cautious of this.

The first thing to prevent Diabetes is to diagnose and identify the sickness in the early stages of it. Let’s have a look at how it can be diagnosed.

Blood Tests

Blood tests are the first ways to identify and diagnose diabetes. There are four blood tests to identify if you have developed diabetes.

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Fasting Plasma Glucose Level

In this first type of blood tests, your blood is tested after refraining from foods (fasting or not taking foods) for at least eight hours. If you get the result of blood glucose level as 7.0 mmol/L or higher, the doctor may then diagnose you with diabetes.

If your glucose level is anything between 6.1 to 6.9 mmol/L, your doctor will diagnose you with prediabetes which is also known as impaired fasting glucose. Prediabetes can lead to diabetes. Hence, one needs to be careful about it.

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A1C Test

One’s A1C or glycated hemoglobin reflects his or her average levels of glucose in blood for the past two or three months. Doctors will diagnose you with diabetes if your A1C is 6.5% or above.

Similarly, if your A1C falls between 6.0% and 6.4%, then you are diagnosed with prediabetes. It is important to note that this blood test cannot be used to diagnose diabetes in children, pregnant woman and adolescents. This is also not useful in diagnosing Type 1 Diabetes either.

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Random Plasma Glucose Level

Random Plasma Glucose Level can be done at any time regardless of when you ate last. However, the metrics are higher compared to the Fasting plasma glucose level.

Under this method, one person is diagnosed with diabetes when his blood glucose levels are 11.1 mmol/L or higher.

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)

Under Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), one’s blood glucose is checked multiple times to diagnose diabetes. The first testing is done after 8 hours of fasting and after giving you a drink of carbohydrate solution of 75g, while the second one is taken after two hours of this test.

Blood glucose is checked at fasting and after two hours to see the differences. Your doctor may diagnose diabetes if your blood glucose is 11.1 mmol/L or higher.

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If your blood glucose level is between 7.8 to 11.1 mmol/L after two hours of drinking carbohydrate solution, then you will be diagnosed with prediabetes. This is the most recommended method for identifying gestational diabetes.

Complications of diabetes

Some of these complications of Diabetes can be fatal if not treated in time. Here are some of the major complications.

Dental and gum diseases: Though dental and gum diseases are not always associated with diabetes, these could also be formed as a result of diabetes.

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Eye problems and sight loss: One needs to diagnose their eye problems like blurry vision and see if they are not related to diabetes. If not diagnosed early, it can lead even to blindness.

Foot problems: Foot problems like numbness are also found in people with diabetes. The cuts and injuries are slow to heal. If your wounds are slow healing, then it is time to have a consultation with a doctor.

Heart Diseases & Stroke: Diabetes also affects the internal organs including the heart. Hence, it can lead to various heart diseases and stroke.

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Nerve damage like diabetic neuropathy: Diabetes no only affects our immune system but also our nerve system.

Kidney disease: Kidney is another major internal organ gets affected by diabetes. These complications can lead to kidney failure and hence one needs to be very careful. Diabetic people may also experience difficulties with bladder control.

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These are some of the complications associated with diabetes. Diagnosing diabetes in the early stages is very important in leading a healthy life. One needs to monitor blood glucose levels and moderate glucose intake for preventing type 2 diabetes.

People, affected with type 1 diabetes, has no other option than taking insulin regularly to control the effects.

Diabetes, a chronic condition, affects the way the body processes blood sugar or blood glucose. It impairs the body’s ability to process blood glucose. Diabetes, if not managed properly, can lead to developing sugars in the blood. In turn, this increases the chances of stroke and heart disease.

Types of Diabetes

There are mainly three types of diabetes. They are Type 1, Type 2, and Gestational Diabetes. Identifying the type is important to have the proper treatment.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes, otherwise known as juvenile diabetes, occurs when the body fails to produce insulin. People with this type of diabetes can stay alive by injecting artificial insulin every day.

Type 2 Diabetes

Among all, Type 2 Diabetes is the most common one. It affects the way the body makes use of insulin. Unlike in the Type 1, where the body still makes insulin but the body cells do not respond to it as effectively as they used to (or did). This type of Diabetes has strong links with obesity, say researches.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational Diabetes occurs in women during their pregnancy. The body, when pregnant, becomes less sensitive to insulin. This type of Diabetes usually resolves by itself after giving birth and it requires no further treatment. Though this type is found in pregnant women, not everyone is affected by it.

Apart from these, there are a few less common types. They include monogenic diabetes and cystic fibrosis-related diabetes.

People with Diabetes can also lead a long happy life if the disease is diagnosed early and managed properly. So, it is important to identify the symptoms of Diabetes and consult a doctor at the earliest.