Reviewed by medical experts • For informational purposes only
Glucose stuck in the blood for want of insulin's key - type 1, type 2, gestational and reversible prediabetes, explained plainly.
Diabetes mellitus is the condition where blood sugar stays too high because the body cannot make enough insulin or cannot use it well. India carries one of the world's largest diabetes burdens - and the disease is far more manageable than its reputation when caught early and treated steadily.
Every meal breaks down into glucose - the body's basic fuel. Insulin is the key that lets glucose out of the blood and into cells. In diabetes, either the key is missing (the pancreas stops making insulin) or the locks are rusty (cells resist insulin). Glucose piles up in the blood, and over years the excess sugar quietly damages eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and feet.
Indians develop diabetes earlier and at lower body weights than Western populations - the "thin-fat" pattern: slim-looking outside, visceral fat inside. A belly that outgrows the belt is a diabetes risk sign even in a thin person.
Prediabetes - the warning stage - is reversible with food, movement and modest weight loss. Established diabetes is controllable to the point of a full, normal life. The complications everyone fears belong mostly to neglected sugar, not treated sugar.
Diabetes is glucose stuck in the blood for want of insulin's key - type 1 needs insulin for life, type 2 is India's lifestyle epidemic, prediabetes is reversible, and steady treatment is what separates a normal life from the complications.
Written By
Dr. Daksh
BDS
Reviewed By
Dr. Varun Gupta
MD Pharmacology, MBBS
Last updated on
27 Sep 2022 • 06:23 PM (IST)
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