As the world marks diabetes awareness day (14th Nov 2022), many Kenyans are still oblivious of the disease.
Information about diabetes is scanty and hence jeopardizes any efforts to curb it.
In simple terms, Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. Your body breaks down most of the food you eat into sugar (glucose) and releases it into your bloodstream. When your blood sugar goes up, it signals your pancreas to release insulin.
There are three types of diabetes
There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes, which is a type of diabetes one experiences while pregnant.
Type 1
A chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, hunger, fatigue and blurred vision.
Type 2
Type 2 diabetes is an impairment in the way the body regulates and uses sugar (glucose) as a fuel. This long-term (chronic) condition results in too much sugar circulating in the bloodstream. Eventually, high blood sugar levels can lead to disorders of the circulatory, nervous and immune systems.
Gestational diabetes
This type too is due to high sugar in the bloodstream during pregnancy.
Treatment of diabetes is crucial. It aims at maintaining normal blood sugar levels through regular monitoring, insulin therapy, diet and exercise.
Maintaining normal blood sugar requires majorly eating healthily.
Visit any of Bliss’s medical centres for a Blood Sugar Test
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