Type 2 diabetes is a common condition that causes the level of sugar (glucose) in a person’s blood to become too high, increasing the risk of serious problems with the eyes, feet, heart and nerves.
But many people have the condition without realising because they may not always notice any symptoms.
Dr Eric Berg, a chiropractor dedicated to helping people transform their health, said understanding the warning signs of diseases, like diabetes, can help prevent and manage them.
As part of a video on his YouTube channel outlining ways your body tells you have a disease, Dr Berg shared seven early warning signs of diabetes.
The first is behaviour around food. He explained: “It’s very difficult for you to skip a meal without being really super hungry.
“You may be hangry – a combination of hungry and angry. You may be irritated when you don’t eat but then you feel better or nicer to be around when you eat.”
Other signs Dr Berg listed included:
- You may also crave carbs
- You may need a nap after you eat
- You may also have puffy eyelids
- You might have worsened vision
- You may start to have urinary frequency – when you start to urinate a bit more and you’re more thirsty.
In order to treat or even prevent the condition from developing, Dr Berg recommended avoiding eating lots of snacks, doing intermittent fasting, and following a healthy version of the ketogenic diet.
What the NHS says
The health service states symptoms of diabetes can include:
- peeing more than usual
- feeling thirsty all the time
- feeling very tired
- losing weight without trying to
- itching around your penis or vagina, or repeatedly getting thrush
- cuts or wounds taking longer to heal
- blurred vision
In order to manage blood sugar levels it recommends following a healthy diet and keeping active.
It recommends eating a wide range of foods, including fruit, vegetables and some starchy foods like pasta, potatoes and rice, and keeping sugar, fat and salt to a minimum.
You should also aim to do at least 2.5 hours of activity a week.
Losing weight (if you’re overweight) can also make it easier for your body to lower your blood sugar level.
