Type 2 diabetes mellitus or type 2 diabetes (Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus) is diabetes caused by the body because it is not effective using insulin or a relative lack of insulin compared to blood sugar levels.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus occurs because of a disruption of the delivery of sugar to body cells due to insufficient production of pancreas or fat cells and body muscles to retention of insulin.
Who is type 2 diabetes mellitus?
Almost all people with diabetes are people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Here are some people who are prone to type 2 diabetes mellitus.
- Adults over 40 years old. This is because at that age insulin production in the pancreas tends to decrease due to age. If at that age choose the wrong diet, it can result in excess sugar levels because the amount of insulin produced by the body is not proportional to the amount of food that enters.
- People who are overweight (obese). The results of a survey revealed that, about 80-90% of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus are those who are overweight. So in type 2 diabetes mellitus the cause is not because of sweet foods but because of the excessive amount of consumption so that the blood sugar reserves in the body accumulate. If you look further, in general, the amount of excessive consumption of food is caused by changes in lifestyle that are all good without paying attention to balanced nutrition and balanced exercise regularly.
- Changes in lifestyle behavior. When some work can be handled by someone else, it can make the body less active. In the end, the body's metabolism becomes slow and obesity occurs and blood sugar buildup in the body.
One thing to watch out for in type 2 diabetes mellitus is the lack of awareness of people about this disease. There are still many people with type 2 diabetes who do not realize that they actually have diabetes. This is because the symptoms of type 2 diabetes mellitus appear slowly.
Usually, someone just found out about type 2 diabetes mellitus after doing a medical checkup. The results of urine tests or blood tests indicate high glucose levels in the blood or urine.
Therefore, near the age of 40 you should do a medical checkup as a whole so that the disease in the body can be detected early.
Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes mellitus are common symptoms that are always present in diabetes, including:
- Get tired quickly.
- Often feel thirsty.
- Blurred vision.
- Weight loss
- Hunger that increases frequently.
- Frequent urination, especially at night.
- Wounds that are slow to heal or often have an infection.
- How to Diagnose Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
A diabetes diagnosis is needed to ascertain the diabetes status you are suffering from. Through laboratory tests, the results obtained will be more accurate and accountable.
Usually doctors in providing treatment therapy use the results of laboratory diagnosis as a basis for decision making. There are several ways to diagnose type 2 diabetes, namely:
Urine test to determine the level of sugar in the urine. If the results of the urine test are obtained in red brick color, it can be said that the person has positive diabetes because there is glucose in his urine.
Blood tests can be used to determine blood sugar levels. If the results shown are obtained in blood sugar levels 2 hours after eating more than 200 mg% then it can be said that the person has diabetes because it has blood sugar levels that exceed the normal threshold.
How to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Type 2 diabetes mellitus can be prevented, namely by maintaining food consumption so it is not excessive so it does not cause high blood sugar levels. In addition, you can prevent the arrival of type 2 diabetes mellitus by:
- Diet to lose weight, if you are overweight. Through setting the right diet will avoid the excess levels of sugar in the blood.
- Exercise regularly for 15-60 minutes, at least 3 times a week. The recommended sports are: walking, swimming, gymnastics and cycling. In addition to preventing obesity, exercise is also believed to be able to burn sugar in the blood so that it can prevent the buildup of sugar in the blood.
- Reduce sugar consumption, and avoid foods and drinks that contain lots of sugar such as soft drinks, sweets, ice cream, sweet breads and so on. By reducing sugar consumption, the workload of the pancreas in producing insulin becomes lighter.
- When you approach the age of 40 you should check your blood sugar levels regularly, especially if your family has a family tree with diabetes. By checking early, it is expected that if symptoms of diabetes are detected, it can be handled properly.
- For pregnant women who suffer from diabetes, it is recommended to do early prenatal care regularly in order to improve the health of the mother and fetus. By knowing the risk factors for gestational diabetes and conducting prenatal screening tests at the age of 24-28 weeks of pregnancy will help detect gestational diabetes early. Gestational diabetes itself is a complication of diabetes during pregnancy which can lead to birth defects in infants, especially in the heart and spine. This is caused by high glucose levels in early pregnancy that can remove oxygen in the embryo.