diabetes

Almost all of us like to indulge in sweets and sweet food items every now and then. In fact, there can be multiple reasons for these sugar cravings. It can be just to celebrate a memorable moment or maybe because of stress. In any case, there is nothing wrong with having sweets once in a while. But what if you simply cannot have anything sweet because of diabetes? So, today in this article, you will learn all about diabetes, how you can reverse diabetes, and how to enjoy your favorite sweets once in a while without serious health issues. Do you know that around 422 million people worldwide suffer from Diabetes! Furthermore, India itself is known as the diabetic capital of the world since the highest number of diabetes cases are in India itself. In the year 2019, diabetes was the direct cause of an estimated 1.5 million deaths around the world. And if people don\’t start taking care of their bodies, millions more will suffer from diabetes.  What is Diabetes? Can you Reverse Diabetes? Diabetes is a medical condition where your body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or is unable to properly use insulin present in the body. Because of this, you can face high blood sugar levels. Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas gland which is present behind the stomach. This insulin is responsible for the amount of glucose that is released into the body. Thus, any hindrance in insulin levels can lead to high levels of glucose, that is sugar, in the bloodstream which leads to diabetes. In simpler words, insulin releases glucose from your bloodstream to your organ cells. This glucose is then used as fuel by your body cells and organs. As a result, if you have diabetes, then your body is essentially unable to properly use the glucose or sugar in your bloodstream as fuel. Role of Glucose in the Body To better understand what exactly diabetes is, you first need to understand the functioning of glucose in our body. Glucose is a type of sugar that the body gets from carbohydrate-rich food items like bread, potatoes, rice, etc. Such food items are broken down into glucose by different enzymes and acids during digestion. And once glucose gets absorbed by the body, this sugar is released into the bloodstream. After this, the insulin helps in transferring the sugar from the blood to the cells which acts as a fuel or energy for the different functions of the body. Glucose also acts as a fuel for the brain and all the various nervous functions. Thus, without glucose, a lot of essential organs might not get enough fuel to work properly. Since glucose is highly important for various body functions, having the right glucose or sugar levels is quite important. Thus, the pancreas keeps a check on blood sugar levels for releasing insulin accordingly. If the blood sugar level increases, your body releases more insulin. Similarly, when sugar levels decrease, your body also reduces the production of insulin.  Reverse Diabetes and its Different Types Now that you know the role of glucose in the body and blood sugar levels, let’s look at the types of diabetes that are usually seen in the population. Prediabetes: In prediabetics, the blood sugar level is higher than normal but not as high as type 2 diabetes. Hence, it is the earlier stage of type 2 diabetes. Type 1 Diabetes: This diabetes is an autoimmune condition. Here, the body itself attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas which leads to a lack of insulin in the body. Because of this, blood sugar levels are increased in your body. It is mostly diagnosed in children but can also develop in adults. Type 1 diabetes constitutes around 10% of the total diabetes cases.  Type 2 Diabetes: In this type of diabetes, the insulin released from the pancreas is not enough for the body. This is caused due to insulin resistance where the body resists insulin and does not respond to it. In a longer period of time, it can even impair the ability of the pancreas to produce enough insulin. As a result, you face high blood sugar levels resulting in type 2 diabetes which is the most common type. Gestational diabetes: This type of diabetes is seen during pregnancy. During pregnancy, your body develops a bit of insulin resistance. And if you are facing diabetes because of this phenomenon, then you have gestational diabetes. It usually gets better after pregnancy but increases the risk of type 2 diabetes in later stages of your life. Symptoms of Diabetes Getting tested in the early stage of diabetes can help you manage it and reverse diabetes before it turns into serious health issues. So, let’s look at the warning signs and symptoms of each type of diabetes: Type 1 Diabetes Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes tend to show up in the early stages which include the following: Feeling tired Frequent urination Extreme hunger Unexplainable weight loss or weight gain Blurred vision Changes in mood Increased thirst Type 2 Diabetes and Prediabetes The symptoms for these are not much noticeable in the earlier stages as they are very mild. Instead, they become visible in the later stages which can be as follows: Feeling tired Frequent urination Increased hunger Unexplainable weight loss or weight gain Blurred vision Increased thirst Slow-healing sores Numbness or a tingling sensation in hands or feet Gestational Diabetes Unfortunately, there are no major symptoms of gestational diabetes apart from frequent urination and increased thirst. Instead, the diagnosis of gestational diabetes is regular blood sugar tests.  Severe Effects of Uncontrolled Diabetes With time, uncontrolled sugar levels can have adverse effects on your health and can even lead to death in extreme cases. Some of such severe effects of uncontrolled diabetes include: Heart disease Nerve damage Kidney problems Serious eye conditions like cataracts, glaucoma, blindness, etc. Alzheimer\’s disease Depression Skin and foot infections In gestational diabetes, uncontrolled diabetes can even have effects