Find out what it is and How to Diagnose Diabetes!

The numbers are surprising and keep growing, since the disease is not very symptomatic and can take a long time to be detected. Of different types,  Diabetes has affected from children to the elderly, which can cause serious consequences when not controlled.

Discover How to Diagnose Type 1 Diabetes:  This type of Diabetes  is characterized by the pancreas not producing insulin – the hormone responsible for converting sugar into energy for the body. It is considered an autoimmune disease, that is, the body itself destroys the insulin-producing cells. It is usually detected in children and adolescents, requiring daily doses of the substance. Patients need to take several doses of the hormone a day to maintain their blood glucose levels.

Discover How to Diagnose Type 2 Diabetes:  According to the National Association for Diabetic Care (ANAD), this type of diabetes  is 8 to 10 times more common than type 1, affecting 10% of the population aged 30 to 69. Type  2 diabetes  happens when the pancreas produces insulin, but it is not used correctly, that is, it cannot metabolize the glucose present in the bloodstream. This anomaly is called insulin resistance. Type 2 consists of a reduction in the effect of insulin, mainly caused by obesity and physical inactivity .

Discover How to Diagnose Gestational Diabetes:  As the name implies, this version of  Diabetes  occurs during pregnancy, in women who were not considered diabetic. This happens because the pregnant woman produces insufficient amount of insulin for her and her baby. This situation must end with the pregnancy, however, while this does not happen, some care must be taken, as this pregnancy is considered a risk.

The pregnant woman, when she has diabetes , will have her prenatal care considered at risk. And gestational diabetes  can lead from premature birth to malformation of the fetus. Also, normally, the baby is born overweight.

Discover How to Diagnose Type LADA Diabetes: The   acronym comes from the English Latent Autoimmune Diabetes  of the Adult. LADA is also an autoimmune disorder, similar to type 1 diabetes  , however, it usually affects adults over 35 years of age. Their discovery came from the researchers’ observation that some adults developed diabetes  in a different way than type 2. They were generally thin, did not have the components of metabolic syndrome and did not have the disease in the family.

Discover How to Diagnose Type Diabetes MODY:  The acronym comes from the English Maturity-Onset Diabetes  of the Young ( Diabetes  of the Young with Maturity Characteristics). In MODY, genetic defects in the function of insulin-producing beta cells occur. The most common initial clinical presentation is mild, symptomless, insulin-free hyperglycemia in non-obese children, adolescents, and young adults with a prominent history of familial diabetes  (three or more successive generations affected). There are six types of MODY. Type 2 usually does not present complications and does not require the use of insulin in the treatment, but the other types will probably use hormone replacement.

Diagnosis:  For you  to Diagnose Diabetes , some tests must be done, such as:

• Fasting blood glucose is the first test performed to check if a person has diabetes . Through the blood test, with at least eight hours of fasting, the values ​​should be between 70 and 99mg/dl of blood.
• Postprandial Glycemia: the glycemic rate is measured up to two hours after the main meals (breakfast, lunch or dinner). Values ​​considered normal should not exceed 126mg/dl.
• Glycemic Curve: According to the ANAD, the oral glucose tolerance test is excellent for diagnosing diabetes . For this purpose, 75g of glucose is given orally (or 1.75g/kg of body weight in children) when the person is fasting. Blood glucose is measured two hours after this process. Both a value between 100 and 125mg/dl, found in fasting condition, and levels between 140 and 200mg/dl evidence glucose intolerance (pre- diabetes ). A blood glucose greater than or equal to 200mg/dl confirms the diagnosis of Diabetes .

Treatment:  The cure for Diabetes  has not yet been found, but there are treatments for the diabetic to have an excellent quality of life. The way to treat will depend on the type of diabetes  diagnosed, and may be based only on food control, the use of oral hypoglycemic agents (medicines that lower blood glucose) or even insulin. The important thing for any treatment to control blood glucose is to eat in a balanced way, include the practice of physical exercises in the routine and follow the endocrinologist’s recommendations.

Changes in the Plate:  To keep meals always balanced and healthy, the ideal is to restrict simple carbohydrates (those that are digested at a greater speed, causing glucose levels to rise quickly), replacing them with complex carbohydrates (those that are absorbed more slowly by the body, providing a slow and gradual increase in glycemic indices), which are found in fruits and vegetables. Here are some general tips to control diabetes  through diet:

• When sweetening drinks, the sweetener should be used instead of sugar.
• The consumption of cooked vegetables is very important and should be done at least once a day.
• Fried foods and any types of fatty foods should be avoided.
• You need to significantly reduce the use of oil for preparing meals.
• The chicken skin and visible fat from the meat must be removed before cooking.
• Aromatic herbs, garlic and onions can always be used, however, care must be taken with salt.