Diabetes symptoms
Eat more
Drinking more
Urinating more
Weight loss
In addition to the above warning signs, which are known as the «three more and one less» signs of diabetes, there are several other possible symptoms of diabetes.
Fatigue, weakness and numbness in the limbs
Itchy skin and sexual organs
Loss of vision
Reduced resistance, skin lesions, and poor wound healing
However, diabetes is usually asymptomatic in the early stages, and nearly one-third of people do not know they have the disease, so regular health checks are needed to detect diabetes early.
Why do people with diabetes feel hungry and thirsty even though they eat and drink a lot?
Even though people with diabetes eat a lot of food, they still feel hungry because their insulin does not respond well to their cells and cannot make use of the glucose.
In addition, the presence of sugar in the urine causes osmotic diuresis. When the urine volume increases abnormally, the body loses water faster, causing thirst. Therefore, if the blood sugar does not drop, the thirst will continue.
High Risk Groups for Diabetes
In addition to genetic factors, lifestyle also has a great influence on diabetes. Take a closer look at the following high-risk groups, which ones can be avoided in general?
Smoking and drinking alcohol
The nicotine in cigarettes suppresses insulin secretion and raises blood glucose; drinking alcohol on an empty stomach may cause hypoglycemia; and drinking alcohol after meals may lead to high blood glucose risk.
Women who have had gestational diabetes
Between 15% and 50% of women with a history of gestational diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes in the future.
Stress
Prolonged exposure to high stress can lead to abnormal hormone secretion, which can hinder the functioning of insulin and increase the risk of elevated blood glucose.
Family history
If there is a family history of diabetes, the risk of developing diabetes is also higher than normal.
Older than 40 years old
This is the age at which type 2 diabetes is most likely to develop.
High blood pressure, high blood cholesterol
If you eat a heavy diet and like big fish and meat, the concentration of the good cholesterol «high-density cholesterol (HDL-C)» in your blood will decrease and the bad cholesterol «low-density cholesterol (LDL-C)» will increase, which will not only bring about diseases such as high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, but may also lead to diabetes.
Overweight, lack of exercise
Obesity will reduce the ability of cells to use insulin (insulin resistance), so that blood glucose concentration increases.
