Diabetes, One of the Main Health Threats to Men

Diabetes is a widespread condition in the industrialized world, and the situation is worsening all the time. In America, there are three times as many cases of diabetes as there were 50 years ago, and there 798,000 new cases every year. In total, almost 17 million people in America have diabetes.

Like cancer and heart disease, diabetes is a lifestyle disease, a modern epidemic caused primarily by too much refined carbohydrates, especially sugar, in the diets of modern Americans.

Diabetes is basically having too much sugar in the blood, and it is the patient who has put that sugar there in the first place. It is not a contagious disease; however, the very poor diets of Americans are contagious, bad habits passed around society and promoted through heavy advertising and peer to peer persuasion. The common form of diabetes is therefore preventable, and those who can resist the high sugar diet and eat and drink sensibly, will not have high blood sugar levels

There are three types of diabetes which people can develop, These include gestational diabetes, Type 1 diabetes, and Type 2 diabetes. These types of diabetes has different causes and can be resolved in different ways.

Gestational diabetes is only found in women, but types 1 and 2 diabetes are found in men and women. Women are most prone to having diabetes, but men in their millions have the condition too, so it is a concern for men's health in the modern world.

Diabetes can affect men of any age, although its onset has normally been in later life, over 60. Nowadays, because the American diet is so bad and unhealthy, diabetes is appearing in young men too, and even teenagers. This is not surprising when you see the large number of obese children around you, all of whom have the increased potential to develop diabetes at a young age. Men of a Hispanic or African origin are more likely to get diabetes than others. The other main risk factors that may affect your chances of developing diabetes are your diet, your weight, and also your family history.

Symptoms of Diabetes

A common early sign that may point towards diabetes is excessive thirst. Other signs are frequent need to urinate, which is due to the kidneys working extra hard to get rid of the extra sugar in your body; blurred vision, weight loss, fatigue, numbness in extremities, and frequent hunger.