Alarming Facts About Diabetes: This Growing Epidemy

Diabetes is a serious disease. If diabetes is not well controlled, it causes serious damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart.

Diabetes is a serious disease. But the startling truth is that diabetes is reversible. Diabetes is the number one cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD). This disease is a condition where the body is unable to automatically regulate blood glucose levels, resulting in too much glucose (a sugar) in the blood. Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects as many as 16 million Americans.

1. According to UN, 246 million people are living with diabetes and 44 million Indians are diabetic. About 5 to 6% of diabetic patients are suffering from Juvenile (Type 1) diabetes.

2. Nearly all patients who are suffering from Type 1 diabetes for 20 years have traces of diabetic retinopathy, which is one of the root cause of blindness.

3. 80% of the people don't take abnormal glucose level in blood seriously.

Diabetes is divided into two major groups. Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common childhood diseases. Type 1 Diabetes is called Juvenile Diabetes as the onset of it begins in childhood. Type 2 diabetes is most common form of diabetes, accounting for 90% of cases. They concluded that most cases of type 2 diabetes is preventable by choosing a healthier lifestyle. The problem, in a nutshell, is that type 2 diabetes is not a simple disease caused by a single gene. The best way to control type 2 diabetes is with diet and exercise.

Why diabetes is becoming an epidemic - opinion from Diabetologists

• Diabetes is a silent, painless disease, that's why symptoms of diabetes are often ignored, and the disease remains untreated. Doctors recommend that you need to pay attention to diabetes and cholesterol symptoms so that you can start change of life style.

• Sedentary lifestyle is the biggest villain and the cause for diabetes.

There has been a great deal of buzz about stem cell research and diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes is more common than Type 1 Diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a life-long disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood. Conditions associated with type 2 diabetes include hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. Type 2 diabetes may account for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Up to two-thirds of people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms. Obesity is the single most important risk factor for type 2 diabetes. An estimated 20% of all cases of new onset type 2 diabetes are in individuals between the ages of 9-19. The more you know about type 2 diabetes, the more you'll be able to take the right steps to take control of your condition.

Causes of Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed among children or young adults, and is caused when the pancreas no longer produces insulin because the body's immune system has malfunctioned and attacked the cells that are responsible for insulin production.

It is estimated that 70000 children under 15 years of age develop type 1 diabetes each year.

What is Type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes on the other hand is a condition resulting from high blood sugar. It is normally found among obese people over the age of 40. The most alarming is that nowadays, even obese children as young as eight to nine years old, go on to develop Type-2 diabetes as that age.

What is the relationship between insulin resistance and diabetes. Insulin resistance can occur long before the onset of type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance is an important marker of diabetes risk. You can counter insulin resistance through modest weight loss and exercise. It is now generally accepted that insulin resistance and ß-cell dysfunction are major factors involved in the development of diabetes. Some scientists think a defect in specific genes may cause insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

What endocrinologists have suggested to control diabetes?

1. Eat less, eat right and eat on time
2. Sleep on time, work while you work and play while you play.