Overview

Diabetes is rapidly emerging as major health concern. The scenario in India is pretty grim with an ever increasing population suffering from this disorder. The irony is that nearly half of the people who have diabetes are not aware of it.

The human body is made of millions of cells that need energy to function. The food that we consume is turned into a sugar called glucose. This glucose is carried to the cells through the blood. Glucose enters the cells via receptors. Insulin is required here to work on these receptors for absorption of glucose. Once this takes place, cells use this glucose to make energy.

Diabetes means the glucose levels in the blood are high. Our pancreas has special cells called beta cells that produce insulin to help convert this glucose into energy. When the insulin levels drop below optimum, an excess of glucose flows in the blood and results in diabetes.

The elderly are more prone to acquire diabetes. A combination of modern lifestyle, irregular living habits and stress has hastened the process of acquiring diabetes at a very early age. Indians tend to acquire diabetes at a very early age of around 40-45 yrs. The most important aspect of diabetes management is lifestyle modifications. Oral anti-diabetic medicines and Insulin are also prescribed to keep diabetes under control.