Diabetes-related complications are a prime contributor to heart and kidney disease, blindness, nerve damage and amputations. At least 50%-in some countries, as much as 80%-of people who have diabetes don't know it. The symptoms are easy to confuse with general tiredness and feeling out of sorts. But fear is not the key-taking control is. At Prevention, we believe when it comes to beating back diabetes, knowledge really is power-and our mission is to give you that power.

Our multi-issue campaign against diabetes will focus on how to combat the disease. Over the next few months, we'll tell you the basics and the breakthroughs. We'll explain how your body handles sugar and arm you with plenty of tools. We'll provide delicious, guilt-free recipes that won't throw your sugar level out of whack. And these are not just sweet nothings.

On The Horizon

Checking blood sugar may soon be as simple as watching a sad movie. A new study reveals that tears might prove just as effective as blood samples for tracking sugar levels. The discovery will allow researchers to develop a new kind of test strip that can measure blood sugar simply by being placed near the corner of the eye.

Diabetes DNA

There is more hanging on the family tree than your good looks: Researchers have discovered a variant gene that may cause diabetes, according to a study in the journal Nature Genetics.

A test for the genes should be available in a couple of years.

Anti-diabetes ally: Vitamin D

Make Your Own Insulin

In as little as five years, doctors may be able to replace the faulty pancreas in diabetics with an artificial pancreas.

Know Your Basics

To outsmart diabetes and take charge of your health

What is diabetes?

It's a lifelong condition in which the body cannot convert food into energy because of a lack of insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas) or because of an inability to use insulin. When you have diabetes your blood glucose (often called blood sugar) is too high. We all have glucose in our blood. Our bodies need glucose for energy to keep us going. But too much glucose in the blood is bad for our health. What's a desirable level? The normal range is about 70 to 110 mg/dl. Blood glucose goes up after eating but 1 or 2 hours later returns to the normal range.


There are three main kinds.

• TYPE1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes, or insulin-dependent diabetes, is usually first diagnosed in children, teenagers, or young adults. In this the beta cells of the pancreas no longer make insulin because the body's immune system has attacked and destroyed them.

• TYPE2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It usually strikes after 40, but one can get it at any age-even during childhood. This form of diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance, a condition in which fat, muscle, and liver cells do not use insulin properly. At first, the pancreas keeps up with the added demand by producing more insulin. With time, it loses the ability to secrete enough insulin in response to meals.

Being overweight and inactive increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. 80% of type 2 diabetes is preventable by adopting a healthy diet and increasing physical activity.

• Some women develop GESTATIONAL DIABETES during the late stages of pregnancy. Although this form of diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born, a woman who has had it is more likely to develop type 2diabetes later in life. Gestational diabetes is caused by the hormones of pregnancy or a shortage of insulin.

Diagnosis

Before one gets diabetes one usually goes through a pre-diabetic phase in which the glucose level in the blood is higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Diabetes is diagnosed based on blood level after 8 hours of fasting. If the result of two blood tests show a fasting glucose level of more than 126 mg/dl you are considered a diabetic. But a sugar level of 100 mg/dl needs doctor's advice and further tests.

Risk Factors

• Being overweight-20% or more than the desired body weight or high body mass index n Family history of diabetes.

• Syndrome X (a combination of high blood pressure, cholesterol and high triglycerides) n Use of certain drugs such as steroids

• Prolonged alcohol abuse n History of gestational diabetes or delivering a baby weighing more than 4kgs n sedentary lifestyle

Note: Eating a lot of sugar does not cause diabetes, but could lead to obesity which is a risk factor

Symptoms

Random blood glucose level of 200 mg/dl or more, plus presence of the following symptoms can mean that you have diabetes: Frequent urination, constant thirst, increased hunger, unexplained weight loss. Other symptoms include fatigue, blurred vision, sores that do not heal, yeast infection in private parts, tingling and numbness of feet. Diabetes is an insidious disease. Therefore, even high levels of blood glucose produce no symptoms in almost 50% of patients with type 2 diabetes. Your doctor will check your blood glucose level on another day using the FPG or the OGTT to confirm the diagnosis.


If you are 40 or older and your BMI indicates that you are overweight, it is time to get yourself tested. If you are in your 30s, but are overweight, and have one or more of the risk factors, you should consider testing. Ask your doctor for a FPG or an OGTT. Your doctor will tell you if you have normal blood glucose, pre-diabetes, or diabetes. If your blood glucose is higher than normal, but lower than the diabetes range (pre-diabetes), have your blood glucose checked in 6 to 12 months.

Preventive strategy

A major research study, the Diabetes Prevention Program, confirmed that people who followed a low-fat, low-calorie diet, watched their weight and engaged in regular physical activity (walking briskly for 45 minutes, 5 times a week, for example) sharply reduced their chances of developing diabetes.

Managing Diabetes

If you still get diabetes, manage it with diet, exercise and medication if needed. Diabetes can lead to serious problems with your eyes, kidneys, nerves, gums and teeth. If you have diabetes, your risk of a heart attack and stroke goes up substantially. You can reduce your risk of developing heart disease by controlling your blood pressure and blood fat levels. If you smoke you must quit. Remember that every step toward your goals helps.


Eat smart to control diabetes

Diet is at the heart of any diabetes management plan. Eating right helps keep blood sugar and fats at steady levels. Here are easy-to-follow eating strategies and delicious recipes to help you keep your sugar level in check. First and foremost, you need to control the amount of what you eat. But that doesn't mean you can just cut your calories down to 1200 calories and eat anything you like. Here's the right way to reduce calories in just 9 simple steps.

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