Diabetes mellitus is a nutritional disorder, characterised by an abnormally elevated level of blood glucose and by the excretion of the excess glucose in the urine. It results from an absolute or relative lack of insulin which leads to abnormalities in carbohydrate metabolism as well as in the metabolism of protein and fat.
Diabetes is a disease known to the medical world since time immemorial. Its incidence is, however, much higher at present than ever in the past. This is especially true in case of more advanced countries of the world due to widespread affluence and more generous food supply.
The most commonly used screening tests are the determination of the fasting blood glucose level and the two-hour post-prandial, that is after a meal. The normal fasting blood sugar content is 80 to 120 mg. per 100 ml. of blood and this can go up to a level of 180 mg. per 100 ml. of blood two hours after meals. Anything above these norms can be termed diabetic levels.
Diabetes occurs in all age groups, from your infants to the elderly. The greatest incidence occurs in middle or older aged persons. It is estimated that 80 to 85 per cent of all individuals with diabetes mellitus are 45 years of age or older.
Symptoms
The word diabetes is derived from the Greek word meaning “to siphon; to pass through,” and mellitus comes from the Latin word “honey”. Thus two characteristic symptoms , namely, copious urination and glucose in the urine give the name to the disease. The normal volume of urine passed daily is about three pints, but in the diabetic condition it can vary from eight to forty pints.
The urine is of a pale colour, has an acidic reaction and sweetish odour. The quantity of sugar present in it varies from two to forty grams per ounce, the total per day in many cases reaching as much as two lbs. in 30 pints of urine.
A diabetic feels hungry and thirsty most of the time, does not put on weight, though he eats every now and then, and gets tired easily, both physically and mentally. He looks pale, may suffer from anaemia, constipation, intense itching around the genital organs, palpitations and general weakness. He feels drowsy and has a lower sex urge than a normal person.
Causes
Diabetes has been described by most biological doctors as a “prosperity: disease, primary caused by systematic overeating and consequent obesity. Not only is the overeating of sugar and refined carbohydrates harmful but also of proteins and fats, which are transformed into sugar if taken in excess and may result in diabetes.
Too much food taxes the pancreas and eventually paralyses its normal activity. It has been estimated that the incidence of diabetes is four times higher in persons of moderate obesity and 30 times higher in persons of severe obesity.
Grief, worry and anxiety also have a deep influence on the metabolism and may cause sugar to appear in the urine. The disease may be associated with some other grave organic disorders like cancer, tuberculosis and cerebral; disease. Heredity is also a major factor in the development of the disease. It has been rightly said, “Heredity is like a cannon and obesity pulls the trigger.