Every 5 seconds in the world, one person has diabetes and in every 30 seconds, one person has a limb amputated due to diabetes every 30 seconds. Diabetes is the world’s fastest growing chronic disease and is the main cause of cardiovascular disease, renal failure and diabetic foot.

Diabetes：The Lifestyle Disease

People with diabetes has high blood sugar due to the inability of the body to produce insulin or that the body does not respond to insulin well. Diabetes cannot be cured and if not controlled, high blood sugar level in the long term can damage the blood vessels and increase the risk of complications such as heart attack, kidney disease, blindness, nerve damage and amputation.

Among all diabetes complications, cardiovascular diseases are the main causes of death in people with diabetes. People with diabetes are also at higher risk of complications and mortality from covid-19.

The Silent Killer

Diabetes can often be overlooked as there can be no symptoms in the earlier stage. However, certain symptoms can eventually develop or suddenly appear:

• Frequent urination
• Very thirsty
• Lose weight without trying
• Gets hungry easily
• Blurry vision
• Feels tired easily
• Slow would healing
• Gets infected easily
• Numb or tingling hands or feet

The Risk Factors

There are three types of diabetes: (1) Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, which causes the body to lose its ability to produce enough insulin. This is often caused by family history or viral infection and is more common in children or teenagers. (2) Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes, which the body is insulin resistant, causing blood high sugar level. This type of diabetes is more common in adults.

Another type of diabetes is (3) Gestational diabetes, which commonly occurs in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. This type of diabetes can be controlled through healthy diet and regular exercise and is often resolved after pregnancy.

Obesity or overweight is one of the main risk factors of type 2 diabetes. However, not all diabetic patients are overweight. Those who are 45 years and above also has higher risk of getting diabetes. People with family history of diabetes are also at risk. Moreover, low physical activity, high carbs and high sugar diet can also lead to diabetes and various health problems.

Diabetes Prevention

You can’t prevent type 1 diabetes, but through healthy lifestyle and diet, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes can be prevented. It is very important to have a balanced diet, choose healthy food (fruits, vegetables and whole grains), maintain a healthy body weight, exercise regularly and do regular body check up for the prevention of diabetes.