10 Diabetes Complications

If you have diabetes watch out for the following health complications

Diabetes can cause many serious health problems. If you’re not watchful, diabetes could lead to heart and blood vessel disease, amputation, blindness, and chronic kidney disease (CKD).  Luckily the development of health complications is not inevitable, there is much you can do to prevent their onset.

10 common diabetes complications

1. Heart Disease

The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions and is a very common diabetes complication. The most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD), which affects the blood flow to the heart. Decreased blood flow can cause a heart attack.

Your doctor will routinely check your blood pressure and may also take a small blood sample to check levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

2. Stroke

Stroke symptoms include weakness on one side of the face or body, numbness in the face, arm, or leg, difficulty speaking, trouble seeing with both eyes, or dizziness. If you experience these symptoms, you should call your doctor immediately.

How to prevent a stroke…

3. Kidney disease (Diabetic nephropathy)

If your kidneys are damaged, you have kidney disease. It is a very common diabetes complication as one in three diabetes sufferers develop the disease. Most people who have early stages of kidney disease do not show any symptoms.

You need to get a urine test at least once a year to check for kidney disease. Your health care provider will also check your blood pressure as high blood pressure also damages your kidneys. Your blood pressure reading should be less than 130/80.

Tips to treat diabetic kidney disease…

4. Nerve damage (Diabetic neuropathy)

Prolonged high blood sugar levels will damage your nerves. The nerves that are most likely to be damaged tend to be in your arms, feet, and hands. Your skin might burn or you might experience pain and numbness in your limbs. Your doctor should thoroughly examine your feet at least once a year to check for nerve damage.

4 ways to treat diabetic nerve damage…

5. Eye damage (Diabetic retinopathy)

Diabetes can damage blood vessels in the retina (the light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of your eye) and this can cause vision loss and blindness.

The early stages of diabetic retinopathy usually don’t have any symptoms which is why it is important for people with diabetes to see an ophthalmologist (an eye doctor) yearly and check for the disease. In people with type 1 diabetes, these annual exams should start within three to five years of diabetes once the patient is age 10 or older. People with type 2 diabetes should have their first eye exam once they are diagnosed. You can protect your vision through early diagnosis and treatment.

Learn more about how diabetes can damage your eyes…

6. Gastroparesis

Gastroparesis is a condition that affects the normal spontaneous movement of the muscles (motility) in your stomach. The nerves to the stomach are damaged and stop working properly. Movement in the stomach is slowed down and it takes a long time for your stomach to empty.

Talk to your doctor if you experience the following symptoms:

• • • Vomiting
    • Nausea
    • Abdominal bloating
    • Abdominal pain
    • A feeling of fullness after eating just a few bites
    • Vomiting undigested food eaten a few hours earlier
    • Lack of appetite
    • Weight loss and malnutrition

7. Erectile dysfunction

Diabetes increases your chances of getting erectile dysfunction. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best remedies. Some men have seen an improvement in their condition simply by exercising, quitting smoking and reducing stress.

8. Skin problems

A third of people with diabetes develop a skin condition. Fungi and bacteria flourish when your blood sugar levels are high, causing skin problems. Luckily most skin conditions can clear up with proper treatment.

How diabetes damages the skin…

9. Infection

High blood sugar levels compromise your immune system. When infections like conjunctivitis (pinkeye), colds, pneumonia, bronchitis, yeast infections, or sinus infections don’t go away with treatment or return frequently it might be because of diabetes.

10. Dental problems

Diabetes weakens your white blood cells, which are the body’s main defence against infections that can occur in the mouth. Visit your dentist for regular check-ups and cleanings to prevent serious dental problems.

Learn more about how diabetes affects the mouth…

How do I prolong the onset of diabetes complications?

Most diabetes complications are linked to high blood sugar levels. If you can keep your blood sugar levels within range, you can delay the development of health complications or avoid them altogether.  

No magic number exists for “normal” glucose or blood sugar levels. While there are clinical guidelines on target goals for blood sugar levels. The 2022 standards from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) are a set of guidelines followed by many professionals in the diabetes field. They suggest that adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes as well as children with type 2 diabetes should have blood sugar levels between 80–130 mg/dL before eating and lower than 180 mg/dL one to two hours after a meal.

There are many lifestyle changes you can make to keep your blood sugar levels within range.

These include:

• Eating whole foods
• Avoiding high-GI foods
• Exercising
• Quitting Smoking

Apart from keeping your blood sugar levels balanced, you should also ask your healthcare provider to regularly run tests to check for diabetes complications.

You should:

• Get a urine test once a year to check for kidney disease
• Get a foot examination once a year to check for nerve damage
• Visit an ophthalmologist once a year to check for eyedamage
• Check for heart disease regularly
• Be on the lookout for symptoms of gastroparesis, erectile dysfunction and skin problems and infections
• Visit your dentist for regular check-ups

Takeaway

Diabetes causes many serious health complications, but these can be avoided or prolonged. The best favour you can do for yourself is to keep your blood sugar levels within range. Also be sure to get tested regularly for these health complications so that you can get treatment as soon as possible to avoid serious problems.

Learn how to prevent type-2 diabetes…

Natural solutions for diabetes

For a very simple and easy-to-follow menu plan, download the new and free Diabetic e-book from the Manna website. Take the Manna Blood Sugar Support supplement with each meal to help control blood sugar levels, cravings and appetite. It gels with the food we eat, and slow releases the sugar into the bloodstream. This allows the body to use it for sustained energy over a longer period of time. It also helps to eliminate blood sugar spikes and crashes, which means we don’t get hungry so easily and don’t constantly feel tired.

Manna Blood Sugar Support is 100% organic & natural and works in a unique way by slowing down the absorption of glucose from the food you eat by up to 43%.

In other words, Manna Blood Sugar Support reduces the GI of the food you eat by up to 43%.

Benefits of Manna Blood Sugar Support

• Helps to maintain even blood sugar levels.
• Keep you more satisfied after a meal, which means that the same meal can take you much further and cause you to eat less, which can help with natural weight loss.
• Helps to control cravings.
• Helping to keep energy levels constant.
• Even blood sugar levels can help to prevent diabetic health complications.