Diabetes and Its Causes

India is the diabetes capital of the world.   Studies conducted by the Diabetes Federation estimates that by the year 2025 India will produce 70 million diabetics.  

When our body fails to convert sugar into energy we become a diabetic.  Sugar (glucose) is important for our body.  It’s like the petrol in a car or motorbike, it fills us with energy.  If this sugar levels in our body increase too much, it will affect all the organs in our body.   There is a hormone in our pancreas called insulin.  Its job is to convert sugar in the foods we eat into energy.   If this hormone fails to work properly, it will lead to diabetes.

 TYPES OF DIABETES :

Type-1: Our Pancreas, like the other organs in our body has cells, and if these cells are destroyed, the insulin production grinds to a halt.  This is the cause of type-1 diabetes.

Type-2 :  Here, the receptors in our cells fail to respond to insulin.  When this happens, the pancreas goes into overdrive and exhausts itself.  This is the cause type-2 diabetes.

Gestation Diabetes :  Women can acquire diabetes during or after pregnancy if their blood glucose levels shoots up high. It is due to complications during or after childbirth.  Mothers can pass on this gestation diabetes to their children.

 OTHER CAUSES OF DIABETES :

Obesity :  People who have more fat content in their body (30% more) increase their chance of getting diabetes.  The more fat a person has, the more difficult it will make the insulin to work.

Malnutrition :  Low protein and fiber intake, and excessive consumption of refined foods: White rice, White flour, macaroni, cakes, cookies, jams, precooked foods, etc.

Lifestyle :  All those who lead a sedentary lifestyle, without any room for physical exercise, can easily acquire diabetes.  

Drugs (medications) :  We can acquire secondary diabetes through certain drugs that we take.  These drugs interfere with the glucose production and leads to diabetes.

Hypertension :  People who suffer from high blood pressure run the risk of developing diabetes.

Stress :  Watch out for stress! Those who live a stressful life – whether emotionally or physically – may inadvertently laying the ground work for diabetes.

Parents to children :  If your father or mother has diabetes chances of you getting it is high.   It is due to the genes that diabetes is passed on to a family member or members.  Most the diabetic cases have one member in the family with the disease.

Infection of the Pancreas (pancreatitis) : It produces the insulin, and any infection to our pancreas results in poor function or no function at all. When the pancreas is infected, it swells up.  Alcoholics are prone to the infection of their pancreas.

Chemicals :  Certain toxic metal like mercury, lead, and aluminum, etc., stick to the cells in our Pancreas and slowly destroy them.  This leads to diabetes.

  

TIPS TO AVOID DIABETES :

-         Avoid deep-fried foods

-         Avoid sweets of all kinds

-         Water – drink lots of it

-         Eat on time

-         Eat 3-4 small meals

-         Walk a lot – not in barefoot

     -          If you are overweight, exercise and reduce it.

-         Keep your eyes examined

-         File your toenails – don’t cut them.

-         Avoid shoes that causes irritation

-         Check your feet at night just before you hit the sack (bed)

-         Check your blood pressure often

-         Eat lots of fiber and whole grains

-         Meditate daily