Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease caused by hyperglycemia, which is the excess of sugar in the blood. According to Istat, in 2020, 6.2% of the Italian population declared they had diabetes. The figure is therefore increasing, if we consider that in 2010 diabetics represented 5.8% of the population.
What is worrying is that these numbers will tend to grow more and more over the years. In fact, the progressive aging of the population and the increase in cases of overweight and obesity leave no room for further predictions.
Among the causes of this disease is an interaction between genetic factors and environmental factors, such as an incorrect lifestyle and poor eating habits. But is there any way to know you have diabetes? Let’s find out together.
Those who minimize and neglect this very common symptom may not know that it could be the sign of diabetes
As some studies on the subject report, diabetes is a subtle disease, because the presence of hyperglycemia does not cause any initial symptoms.
Symptoms generally may only appear when the disease has already been present for several years.
In acute cases, one of the most common symptoms may be unwarranted weight loss, sometimes coupled with an increase in appetite.
Or there may be abdominal pain, general malaise, mental confusion and even loss of consciousness.
However, there is a very unique symptom that is often not considered because it is considered normal or physiological. In fact, those who minimize and neglect this very common symptom may not know that it could be the sign of diabetes. We are talking about polydipsia, that is, the increase in thirst.
This symptom could also occur in other animals, such as in dogs. In fact, we had already seen that these attitudes could reveal a worrying surge in blood sugar.
Often, in conjunction with the increase in thirst, there is also the urgent and frequent need to urinate.
This is called polyuria, a phenomenon that in males could be a symptom of other diseases related to the prostate.
Prevention strategies
If you have symptoms, blood tests need to be done to diagnose diabetes. The values to keep under control, in addition to pressure, are blood sugar, glycated hemoglobin, LDL and HDL cholesterol. The blood test is an excellent screening test even for the symptom-free population.
As far as prevention is concerned, it is important to improve your lifestyle by including regular aerobic physical activity in your daily life.
It could take even 20 or 30 minutes, accompanied by a 10% loss in body weight.
Furthermore, it is essential to minimize the consumption of saturated fatty acids and to prefer foods with a good supply of unsaturated fatty acids (omega 3).
Among these, there is for example this very lean meat, rich in omega 3 and low in cholesterol, also ideal for those with iron deficiencies.