Diabetes is one of the most common metabolic disorders that occur due to abnormal regulation of blood glucose. All the macronutrients and micronutrients in the food we eat are eventually converted into glucose. Glucose is the energy our body requires for the optimal functioning of all systems. The pancreas is a specialized organ that produces insulin; a hormone required by the body cells to uptake glucose from the blood and uses it as energy.
When the pancreas does not produce insulin at all as in the case of type 1 diabetes or produces low insulin or the body cells become resistant to the insulin as in the case of type 2 diabetes, the glucose remains in the blood and doesn’t reach the body cells for utilization. These persistent high levels of glucose in the blood results in a health condition called diabetes.
Diabetes is a fatal disease and it can lead to serious health complications like high blood pressure, heart diseases, nerve damage and neuropathy (nerve pain), kidney disease, and stroke. According to the CDC, 40% of the American population has diabetes and 22% of them even don’t realize the disease until its more advanced stages.
One study indicates that 1 out of 3 diabetic people don’t know they have diabetes and thus it can go unnoticed for months or years. It is therefore very important to be aware of some warning signs of diabetes for early diagnosis, prompt treatment, and prevention of complications.
The following are the 15 most common early signs of diabetes that you should know:
Increased Urination
A significant increase in the frequency of passing urine is one of the earliest and tell-tale symptoms of diabetes. The average person passes urine 4-7 times in a 24 hour period. Peeing more than an average person and waking up during the night, especially when you already have emptied your bladder, is a common red flag.
The reason behind this is: The presence of excess sugar in the blood alerts the kidneys to work overtime and clear this high level of sugar through urine to prevent harm to the body. Sugar has the property to drain water with it and therefore an excess amount of sugar in the urine leads to more urination.