Symptoms & risk factors of diabetes

Most foods we eat are turned into glucose or sugar for the body’s cells to use as energy. In diabetes, blood sugar levels are higher than normal. The pancreas gland doesn’t make enough of the hormone insulin to help sugar get into the cells or the body can’t use the insulin it produces well, which is called insulin resistance. Sugar builds up in the blood.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with diabetes may have some or none of the following symptoms:
Frequent urination
Excessive thirst
Unexplained weight loss
Extreme hunger
Sudden vision changes
Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
Feeling very tired most of the time
Sores that are slow to heal
More infections than usual

Risk factors for Type 2 diabetes are:
Older age
Obesity
Family history of diabetes
Prior history of gestational diabetes
Impaired glucose metabolism
Physical inactivity
Racial/ethnic minority

Autoimmune, genetic and environmental factors are involved in the development of Type 1 diabetes.

If you think you may have diabetes, see your physician.