Basic Risks of Diabetes

We all think we will never get diabetes, that it happens to the person next door, or Aunt Petunia that lives hundreds of miles away.
But research has shown that psychological and emotional stress among parents may trickle down to their kids and increase their children's risk of having diabetes. Mothers who go through stressful events such as divorce, domestic violence, mental tension and work pressure also have an increased risk of developing diabetes. Parents who are often stressed out, or who are having problems, is the number one stressor among children. Without the parent's knowledge, children may get stressed, raising level of a "stress hormone", otherwise known as Cortisol.






Cortisol is found adjacent to the kidneys and is released in response to both physical AND psychological stress. It breaks down muscle proteins into its component amino acids which then circulates the bloodstream. These amino acids are used by the liver in the manufacture of glucose for energy, increasing blood sugar level and at the same time lowering the use of glucose as fuel. The deficiency as well as excess of cortisol in the body may trigger some system disorders, such as autoimmunity damaging the insulin-producing beta cells, resulting in a deficiency of insulin.
Children with diabetes who experience frequent episode of hypoglycemia, severe low blood sugar levels, particularly at an early age, may have reduced long-term memory performance, as compared to diabetic children who experience severe hypoglycemia at a later age. A diabetic child's spatial memory performance may be greatly affected by episodes of extreme low blood sugar.






It has been found that anti-diabetic medicines that are taken orally by the mouth are as effective as insulin injection in controlling the symptoms of diabetes. Unfortunately, trends show that the number of people with diabetes continues to rise while their ages at which they get diagnosed, drop.
Even scarier, due to the obesity problem around the world, especially in the US, Type 2 diabetes, which used to be called adult - onset diabetes, is now striking children. Overweight and obese kids that present identifying symptoms like darkness around neck and armpits area are those who frequently get urinary tract infection (UTI).
So what are the problems that diabetes, if not properly managed, can lead to? The answer is; many complications such as amputation and damage to key organs of the body like the eyes, kidney and the heart.
It takes every ounce of restraints and discipline on the part of the patient to be able to follow the rigid diet and medication regimen required for the management of disease.
Having diabetes requires careful examination of one's sugar level and ensuring that hypoglycemia does not set in. Using blood glucose meter, a person who has diabetes can tell whether his/her sugar level is low. The normal fasting blood sugar is 70 to 100 mg/dl.