Diabetes’ close link to obesity has made it substantially more difficult to tackle, as both crises are now inextricably linked. Excessive amounts of added sugars in foods are a primary cause of the conditions. Recognising the warning signs of high blood sugar early, however, could stop diabetes from progressing to the severe stages.
In the journal of Diabetic Medicine stated in 2013 that there was ample evidence linking hyperplasia (hunger) to diabetes.
Evidence on food cravings in diabetics, however, has remained scarce.
The researchers set to out determine whether changes in blood sugar levels may intensify preferences for certain foods.
To shed more light on the matter, researchers asked a sample of 210 subjects to fill in food craving surveys.
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A total of 105 volunteers have diagnosed with type 2 debates and were matched with control subjects.
The study results showed that “the group with type 2 diabetes had a higher carbohydrate craving score, but a lower fat craving score than the control group.”
It was therefore concluded that “carbohydrate craving in patients with diabetes was associated with poor glycemic control.”
Other signs of diabetes
Gary Scheiner, Diabetes Educator at Klinio, stresses the importance of screening for diabetes annually.
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He explained: “This way diabetes can be caught in its early stages and treated with minimal medication.
“[…] You might be able to prevent developing full-blown diabetes if you have pre-diabetes and take food care of your health.
“If you have type 2, you can take better care of yourself and prevent the numerous health problems associated with diabetes.”
Treating or even reversing the disease can prevent various types of irreversible damage to the body caused by blood sugar levels soaring.
“Because of this, you need to monitor your health regularly and get regular checkups,” added Mr Scheiner.
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Some general symptoms of diabetes to be aware of include:
- Frequent urination
- Increased thirst
- Excess hunger
- Fatigue, lack of energy
- Blurred vision
- Cuts or bruises that are slow to health
- Unexplained weight loss
- Pain, numbness or tingling in hands or feet.
“There are other signs of high and low blood pressure in addition to these early indications of type 2 diabetes,” adds Scheiner.
Although it is rarely discussed, diabetics treated with insulin can sometimes suffer low blood sugar.
Just like high blood sugar, the condition, medically known as diabetic hypoglycaemia, warrants concern.
Failure to treat symptoms swiftly can prompt a cascade of complications such as fits and seizures.
Hypoglycaemia is normally induced by taking too many medications, eating insufficient amounts of food, or skipping meals.
In diabetes, however, hypoglycemia typically occurs when diabetic medication like insulin has taken up too much glucose in the bloodstream.
Like high blood sugar, one symptom of diabetic hypoglycemia includes a craving for carbohydrates.
This was established by a study in the journal of Physiology and Behaviour, which found that in diabetics, hypoglycaemia produced a “highly reliable generalised increase in cravings for foods.
The authors observed an increased desire for “foodstuffs with a high content of carbohydrates.”