Beating diabetes

Bollywood actress and fashion icon Sonam Kapoor is diabetic. But she has never let diabetes interfere with her life. She delivers her performance and manages her routine well. So how does she manage to do this? The secret is her strict diet schedule and doses of insulin.

Here’s what you need to know about diabetes:

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disorder in which the body fails to convert sugars, starches, and other food into energy due to the inability of the body to make enough insulin or use insulin correctly.

There are two types of diabetes:

1. Type 1: In which the body doesn’t makes any insulin. A person who suffers with Type 1 diabetes requires insulin injections every day to stay alive, like Sonam Kapoor does.
2. Type 2: In this case, the body doesn’t make enough insulin or is unable to use insulin. This is the most commonly found kind of diabetes.

What are the probable causes of diabetes?

1. Obesity or being overweight.
2. High blood pressure.
3. Wrong food habits such as eating lots of junk food, high calorie food and binging at wrong timings.
4. Stress.
5. Lack of physical activity and exercising.
6. Hormonal imbalances.
7. Diseases like polycystic ovarian disease.
8. Smoking and drinking.
9. Gestational diabetes in pregnant women, if undetected and untreated, increases the risk of mother and baby developing diabetes.

How do I know that I am diabetic? What are the symptoms?

1. Increased frequency of urination.
2. Feeling thirsty often.
3. Frequent fungal infections – vaginal itching and thick discharge in women.
4. Blurred vision.
5. Unexplained loss or gain of weight.
6. Slow healing of wounds.
7. Tingling numbness of hands or feet.

What can I do if I am a diabetic?
First, do not panic. Include exercise in your routine compulsorily. Follow a proper diet as recommended by your doctor. Take medicines regularly. Keep a tab on blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.

Things to remember:

1. Follow a healthy lifestyle by having proper diet and exercising daily for at least 30 minutes.
2. Add plenty of fibers to diet. Avoid junk food.
3. If you have some extra weight, workout to lose it.
4. Reduce stress and stay happy.