Doctor Vishakha says, if you have a family history of diabetes or you are overweight, you must not only check your blood sugar but also your serum insulin levels and your HBA1C.
Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to an increased risk of heart disease
Diabetes is a chronic condition. It occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the produced insulin. People usually get diagnosed with diabetes at a later stage, following which they have to swear by medications and whatnot. According to Doctor Vishakha, if you have a family history of diabetes or you are overweight, you must not only check your blood sugar but also “your serum insulin levels and your HBA1C.” The health expert explains that insulin is a “predictive marketer” of diabetes, meaning it tells whether you are going to be diabetic or not. The elevated insulin levels, as per Vishakha, “tells you that you have insulin resistance which could lead to diabetes in a matter of time.”
“At this stage it is relatively easy to reverse this condition and prevent complications of full blown diabetes,” she adds.
Blood sugar is a great test to know the trajectory of diabetes. However, it takes longer to control and reverse diabetes as well as its complications, in case of very high blood sugar. Your blood sugar fasting in pp (postprandial blood glucose test) may be absolutely normal, but still you can end up being diabetic. The pp testing reflects the result of the food you have eaten over the last 24 hours. Therefore, it is not a reflective number of pre-diabetes.
Uncontrolled diabetes can affect your body in more than one way. Let take a look at its effects:
· Chronic high blood sugar levels can damage your blood vessels, increasing the chances of a heart attack.
· It can also damage the blood vessels, which carry blood to the brain as well as the eyes.
· High blood sugar makes your kidneys work harder, following which it may end up working poorly.
· It can take a toll on your reproductive system.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
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