Diabetes on the Rise: Essential Warning Signs You Shouldn't Ignore

Did you know that every 23 seconds, someone new is diagnosed with diabetes? This silent epidemic affects millions worldwide, and we're seeing an unprecedented rise in cases across all age groups.

It’s important to be able to recognize the symptoms of diabetes, spot the warning signs, risk factors, and understand the preventive measures that will help you avoid this serious disease.

What is Diabetes and Understanding Your Body's Early Alerts

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose or blood sugar, is too high. Glucose is your body’s main source of energy. Your body can make glucose, but glucose also comes from the food you eat.

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that helps glucose get into your cells to be used for energy. If you have diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough—or any—insulin, or doesn’t use insulin properly. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells.

Diabetes raises the risk for damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart. Diabetes is also linked to some types of cancer. Taking steps to prevent or manage diabetes may lower your risk of developing diabetes health problems.

The most common types of Diabetes are Type 1, Type 2

diabetes type 1 and type 2 come from different causes:

• Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease the pancreas does not make insulin, because the body’s immune system attacks the islet cells in the pancreas that make insulin.  This type of diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults.

• Type 2 diabetes does have a genetic aspect, but it is a diabetes that people develop when they have too much body fat.  The pancreas makes less insulin than is needed, and your body can’t keep glucose in normal ranges.

Diabetes Symptoms

Diabetes symptoms often develop gradually, especially in type 2 diabetes. What makes early detection challenging is that these signs can be so subtle that they're easy to dismiss. For instance, you might attribute increased thirst to hot weather or fatigue to a busy schedule.

One particularly telling sign we see in many cases is what doctors call "acanthosis nigricans" – dark patches of skin appearing in neck folds and over knuckles. This can be an early indicator of insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes.

Our bodies are remarkably good at sending warning signals when something isn't quite right. When it comes to diabetes, these signals can be subtle but significant. Health care providers see patients who've been experiencing symptoms for months without realizing their importance. It’s important to watch for:

• Unusual thirst and frequent urination: When blood sugar levels rise, your kidneys work overtime to filter excess sugar, leading to more frequent bathroom trips and increased thirst
• Unexplained fatigue: Your cells aren't getting the energy they need from glucose, leaving you feeling constantly tired
• Vision changes: High blood sugar can affect your eye's ability to focus, causing temporary blurred vision
• Unexplained weight loss: When the glucose doesn’t arrive in your cells, your body thinks it’s starving and finds a way to compensate. It creates energy by burning fat and muscle at a rapid pace. This causes unexplained weight loss
• Slow-healing wounds: Poor blood flow and elevated sugar levels can impair your body's natural healing process
• Numb or tingling hands or feet: High blood sugar (glucose) can injure nerves throughout the body. Diabetic neuropathy most often damages nerves in the legs and feet. Depending on the affected nerves, diabetic neuropathy symptoms include pain and numbness in the legs, feet and hands
• Dry, itchy skin: Dehydration from frequent urination can leave your skin feeling unusually dry

Key Risk Factors and Prevention

family history plays a significant role as a predictor of diabetes - if you have a parent with type 2 diabetes, your risk increases by 40%, and it jumps to 70% if both parents are affected.

While certain risk factors like age, family history, or ethnicity, can’t be changed, we should be aware of them. African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans face a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. We've also observed that men are generally more likely to develop diabetes than women.

The good news? Many risk factors are within our control. Through our research and experience, we've identified several effective prevention strategies:

• Maintain a healthy weight through balanced nutrition
• Engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly
• Choose fiber-rich foods to help manage blood sugar
• Limit processed foods and sugary beverages
• Monitor blood pressure and cholesterol levels regularly

We've seen remarkable results when these strategies are implemented early. Studies show that losing just 7-10% of body weight can significantly reduce diabetes risk in those with prediabetes. Remember, prevention is always more effective than treatment, and small changes today can make a big difference in your future health.