World Diabetes Day 2017: Women And Diabetes

World Diabetes Day 2017: Women and diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose (or blood sugar), which leads over time to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. The most common is type 2 diabetes, usually in adults, which occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn't make enough insulin. In the past three decades the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has risen dramatically in countries of all income levels. Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin by itself. For people living with diabetes, access to affordable treatment, including insulin, is critical to their survival. There is a globally agreed target to halt the rise in diabetes and obesity by 2025. Continue reading

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Diabetes and Hair Loss: Why It Happens and What to Do

A lesser-known side effect of diabetes is an increased risk of hair loss. This is usually owed to the impact of diabetes on the body, but can also be caused by certain medications.
Hair loss can begin with the onset of diabetes and, for some individuals, is an early diabetes warning sign. Anyone with unusual hair shedding should talk to a doctor.
Potential Causes of Hair Loss
There are several reasons why diabetes may cause thinning hair.
Poor circulation. Any damage to the small blood vessels limits oxygen and nutrients reaching the extremities, including feet, hands, and the scalp. Undernourished hair follicles (roots) may weaken and loose their grip on hair strands, and if the situation persists, will not be able to generate new shafts.
Hormone imbalance. Diabetes can cause fluctuations and glitches in our body’s hormone production. An imbalance in hormones affects the growth cycle of hair. This is why some women experience hair loss while pregnant or during menopause.
Compromised immune system. If the immune system is weakened by stress or illness, the scalp is more susceptible to disease. Many scalp conditions such as fungal and bacterial infections can lead to patches of hair loss.
Slow cell rejuvenation/telogen effluvium. Diabetes can slow the body’s cell regeneration time, disrupting the growth cycle of hair.
At any give time, most of our hair is in a growth phase called anagen, while up to 15 percent of our hair is in a resting phase called telogen. Illness, stress or hormonal fluctuations can cause a larger percentage of the hair to enter telogen (the resting Continue reading

How Much Sugar Can a Person With Diabetes Have?

If you have diabetes, you've probably been told to watch your sugar intake or eliminate sugar altogether. But does that mean you can't ever eat any sugar or can you still enjoy a sweet treat now and then?
While it's best to speak with your doctor, dietitian, and diabetes educator about how much sugar you can have each day, chances are you'll be able to eat some sugar as along as you're careful about how much and how often.
For most people, whether or not they have diabetes, a healthy diet can include some sugar, probably about 20 to 35 grams of sugar a day. For reference, a teaspoon of sugar has about 4 grams of sugar. A candy bar can easily have 30 grams sugar, and a can of sugar-sweetened soda has around 40 grams of sugar.
So, one sweet treat could put anyone over the healthy limit. And, keep in mind many foods have sugar in them even though they're not sweet tasting.
But Didn't Eating Sugar Cause My Diabetes?
Technically, no. Eating sugar doesn't cause diabetes, or at least not all by itself. Being overweight or obese increases your risk of having type 2 diabetes and eating lots of sugary foods may have been part of the reason for your weight gain.
Managing your weight can be an important part of treating your diabetes and that probably means cutting back on added sugars and high-fat foods and eating a balanced diet with more whole-grains, fresh veggies, healthy fruit, and lean protein sources.
As far as the amount of sugar you can have? It really depends on how many calories you are taking in every day, and the amount has to fit into your overall carbohydrate intake.
Ch Continue reading

What Does Bad Breath Have to Do with Diabetes?

Your breath has an interesting ability to provide clues to your overall health. A sweet, fruity odor can be a sign of ketoacidosis, an acute complication of diabetes. An odor of ammonia is associated with kidney disease. Similarly, a very foul, fruity odor may be a sign of anorexia nervosa. Other diseases, such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, and liver disease, also can cause distinct odors on the breath.
Bad breath, also called halitosis, can be so telling that doctors may even be able to use it to identify diabetes. Recently, researchers have found that infrared breath analyzers can be effective in identifying prediabetes or early-stage diabetes.
Diabetes-related halitosis has two main causes: periodontal disease and high levels of ketones in the blood.
Periodontal diseases
Periodontal diseases, also called gum diseases, include gingivitis, mild periodontitis, and advanced periodontitis. In these inflammatory diseases, bacteria attack the tissues and bone that support your teeth. Inflammation can affect metabolism and increase your blood sugar, which worsens diabetes.
While diabetes can lead to periodontal diseases, these diseases can also create further problems for people with diabetes. According to a report in IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences, an estimated one in three people with diabetes will also experience periodontal diseases. Heart disease and stroke, which can be complications of diabetes, are also linked to periodontal disease.
Diabetes can damage blood vessels, which can reduce blood flow throughout your body, including your gums. If your g Continue reading

Diabetes and Fatigue: Everything You Need To Know

What exactly is fatigue? Is it just being tired after working a long week or not getting enough sleep?
The answer is no.
Fatigue is excessive tiredness that makes carrying out simple tasks difficult and interferes with one or more life functions. Sounds terrible, doesn’t it? Well imagine having a chronic illness along with the fatigue. Diabetes and fatigue have a strong relationship, and it can make a person’s life very difficult. The following article will discuss the relationship, along with ways to beat and reduce the risk of living with diabetes and fatigue.
What is diabetes fatigue?
As it was mentioned above, diabetes fatigue is an extreme tiredness that individuals with diabetes can experience. It is a tiredness that disrupts a person’s life and makes it difficult to function. It is very common, and studies have shown that 85% of those with diabetes experience fatigue.
Some signs of fatigue include:
Dizziness
Irritability
Headache
Inability to concentrate
Problems remembering things
Blurry vision
Slowed reflexes and muscle weakness
Is feeling fatigue a sign/symptom of diabetes?
Feeling fatigued is definitely a symptom of diabetes. However, fatigue can also be a sign or symptom of many other diseases, so it is important that you talk to your doctor about any problems that you are having.
I advise reading the following:
Reactive hypoglycemia, a term used to define the crash that a person gets after eating a lot of sugar and carbs, can be an early sign of diabetes. In order for the body to use the sugars and carbs that are consumed for fuel, each molecule must be p Continue reading