Contour

Having increased thirst and frequent urination can be a symptom of having higher than normal blood sugar level (i. e. diabetes mellitus). Diabetes mellitus is the most common medical cause of increased thirst and frequent urination. It is caused by insufficient production of insulin from the pancreas and inability of the body to use insulin properly.

This greatly depends on the type and stage of diabetes that you are diagnosed with. For Type 1 diabetes in which the body does not produce enough insulin to control blood sugar, lifelong insulin therapy would be needed. Type 2 diabetes starts off with insulin resistance, where the cells in your body aren’t responding to the insulin produced, and may be accompanied with a lack of insulin as the disease progresses.

Diet control definitely plays a big part in managing diabetes. Since carbohydrate is the main nutrient that raises blood sugar levels, we should focus on the intake of carbohydrates. First of all, diabetic patients should decrease their intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates. This includes white rice and white bread. They have high glycemic index (GI), meaning that they can make your blood sugar levels shoot up very quickly. You should stick to low GI food, which includes oatmeals, brown rice, wholemeal bread, legumes and nuts.

Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the body is unable to properly use and store sugar (glucose), resulting in blood sugar level rising higher than normal. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which comprises 90% to 95% of all cases of diabetes, occurs because the body (in particular, the pancreas) does not produce enough insulin and the body is also unable to use insulin properly (insulin resistance). High blood sugar levels if not controlled over years can lead to damage to the various blood vessels in the body.

Great question and very pertinent given the current fight against diabetes. While I won’t repeat Dr Abel’s advice, I would suggest EXERCISE and WEIGHT LOSS. In patients with early type II diabetes, these have been found to help with control and progression of the diesease and in some cases it can lead to patients not needing medication. Of course this needs to be combined with sensible eating and monitoring. Perhaps seeing someone to help you with this would be good, particularly if you haven’t developed type II diabetes. Hope this helps.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the most common type of diabetes. Up to 90% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. The risk for someone to develop type 2 diabetes is multi-factorial. Both heredity (genetics) and lifestyle/environmental factors play a role in influencing one's risk of developing type 2 diabetes. If you have one first-degree relative (parent or sibling) who has type 2 diabetes, your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is increased 2- to 3-fold. 18,19]. Your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is higher (5- to 6-fold) if both your parents have type 2 diabetes.

A low carbohydrate diet typically means a diet which is less than 30% of carbohydrates. A typical Asian diet usually consists of more than 60% carbohydrate. For patients with type 1 diabetes, certainly, taking less sugars will improve glucose levels per se. However, it is important to realise that people with type 1 diabetes do not have any insulin in the system and therefore, must continue to take insulin to keep themselves healthy.

Thank you for your question and I can understand your concern. The simplest way to check whether you have diabetes, is to arrange a fasting blood test with your local GP surgery. You will need to fast for 10-12 hours (overnight) and then have the test done prior to consuming any food or drink. There are some risk factors that come to mind, namely, do you have a family history of diabetes, are you carrying more weight that you should be (i. e. elevated BMI), have you been taking any supplements or medications, such as steroids, to help your gym activities?

Thank you for your question. First of all, congrats on improving your diabetic control! Dropping your Hba1c from 9% to 5. 9% is an amazing conscientious effort on your part. 1. What I could not understand is that, how come my blood sugar was well control (5. 9%) but yet there is a deterioration in my eye condition? With too well controlled sugars, you can certainly get tingling sensations which is related to low blood sugar, or hypoglycaemia. It’s your body’s way of telling you that you need to eat.