I'm not even sure I have diabetes. What are the tests?

Question

Yeah, I have a relative from two previous generations that had the disease, but I'm rather fit and stuff and it hasn't shown up before. Though my eating habits can be better, what should I do to ensure that I won't get the disease?

Answer 1

Please undergo blood sugar test at least once in a year.

Answer 2

Having a relative with the disease doesn't assure you that you will get it. It just means that it is in the family genes. Cut out all non-nutitrional junk food, cold drinks and fast food. Eat healthier, exercise and if you do have the gene you can delay the onset by years or maybe you will never have it. A doctor can do a blood test after you fast for 10 to 12 hours. Or a glucose tolerance test that lasts about 3 hours. Either way, simple tests, and the ability to find out if you are or are not. Good luck.

Answer 3

Learn all you can about the disease so that you never get it. Learn how to eat balanced meals and portions and eat at least three small meals a day. Lay off anything white and exchange for green and a small portion of meat. Try reading Dr. Sears diet book. He talks about being prediabetic, what foods really get your sugar/insulin ration out of whack, and about eating small balanced meals. Also go online and read, read, read. You would also do well to have your sugar checked fairly periodically. Work at eating correctly and in moderation and you will live a much longer healthier life. Diabetes is a lot of work and effort to just try to stay even. It's worth the work to be careful before you get it. Once you have it, there is no turning back. . .

Answer 4

Diabetes is of two types
Type 1- Insulin Dependent Diabetes mellitus in which the patient need insulin to control diabetes
Type 2- Non Insulin Dependent diabetes mellitus win whihc the patient doens't need any insulin for the control but they need some medications.

To know whether the patient is diabetic or non diabetic go for a general checkup of sugar in all the three forms one as Fasting blood sugar, Post Prondial and Random sugar. if all are normal then no problem and if any abnormalities there in value you have to go for other test for urea, creatinine and many other.

Answer 5

There are two completely different types of diabetes.

Type one - juvenile - you get as a kid or young adult and the treatment is insulin injections. There are pills that work OK, but they aren't a cure. We don't know what causes it, probably a combination of genes and environmental factors.

Type two is adult onset. Made much more likely by being overweight and out of shape. What you eat - before you get type two - is important only because it helps make you overweight. Exersize and put down the fork, you can avoid it.

The tests are blood tests, very simple. A Dr. can do them in 3 minutes.

Answer 6

The insurance is cheap. Eat to live instead of living to eat. Adopting a diabetic diet is the best insurance against getting it that I can think of. Key rules include, low carb, low fat, minimum dairy, maximum vegetable, high quality protein like fish and chicken breast, and lots of daily exercise. More here:
http://www.diabetesimprovement.com/

Testing is easy. Get a blood glucose meter and read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucose_tolerance_test

Answer 7

A simple test in your doctor's office. Learn about nutrition first, it's better than ANY meds out there.

Answer 8

There are 2 types of diabetes
- type 1 diabetes
- type 2 diabetes

1.- TYPE 1 DIABETES

A.- SCREENING and DIAGNOSIS
Various blood tests can be used to screen for diabetes, including:

a.- Random blood sugar test.
- A blood sample will be taken at a random time.
- Regardless of when you last ate, a random blood sugar level of 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher suggests diabetes.

b.- Fasting blood sugar test.
- A blood sample will be taken after an overnight fast.
- A fasting blood sugar level between 70 and 100 mg/dL is normal.
- A fasting blood sugar level from 100 to 125 mg/dL is considered prediabetes, which indicates a high risk of developing diabetes.
- If it's 126 mg/dL or higher on two separate tests, you'll be diagnosed with diabetes.

c.- glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test.
- This blood test indicates your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months.
- It works by measuring the percentage of blood sugar attached to hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells.
- The higher your blood sugar levels, the more hemoglobin you'll have with sugar attached.
- Generally, a target A1C result is 7 percent or less.

If you're diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor may do other tests to distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes — which may require different treatment strategies.
Type 1 diabetes might be suspected if you have little or no ability to produce insulin, you have antibodies to insulin-producing cells in your blood, or you have toxic acids produced by the breakdown of fat (ketones) in your urine.

B.- PREVENTION
Type 1 diabetes can't be prevented. Researchers are studying various options for prevention, however.

a.- For example, although oral insulin can't be used to lower blood sugar, researchers are testing whether an insulin capsule taken by mouth once a day can prevent or delay type 1 diabetes in people who have antibodies to insulin in their blood.
b.- In other studies, researchers are testing ways to slow the development of type 1 diabetes and preserve insulin production in people recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.


2.- TYPE 2 DIABETES

A.- SCREENING and DIAGNOSIS
Various blood tests can be used to screen for diabetes, including:

a.- Random blood sugar test.
- A blood sample will be taken at a random time.
- Regardless of when you last ate, a random blood sugar level of 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher suggests diabetes.

b.- Fasting blood sugar test.
- A blood sample will be taken after an overnight fast.
- A fasting blood sugar level between 70 and 100 mg/dL is normal.
- A fasting blood sugar level from 100 to 125 mg/dL is considered prediabetes, which indicates a high risk of developing diabetes.
- If it's 126 mg/dL or higher on two separate tests, you'll be diagnosed with diabetes.

c.- glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test.
- This blood test indicates your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months.
- It works by measuring the percentage of blood sugar attached to hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells.
- The higher your blood sugar levels, the more hemoglobin you'll have with sugar attached.
- Generally, a target A1C result is 7 percent or less.

d.- The American Diabetes Association recommends routine screening for type 2 diabetes beginning at age 45, especially if you're overweight.
- If the results are normal, repeat the test every three years.
- If the results are borderline, repeat the test every year.

If you're diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor may do other tests to distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes — which may require different treatment strategies.

B.- PREVENTION
Healthy lifestyle choices can help you prevent type 2 diabetes. Even if diabetes runs in your family, diet and exercise can help you prevent the disease. And if you've already been diagnosed with diabetes, the same healthy lifestyle choices can help you prevent potentially serious complications.

a.- Eat healthy foods.
- Choose foods low in fat and calories.
- Focus on fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
- Strive for variety to prevent boredom.

b.- Get more physical activity.
- Aim for 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day.
- Take a brisk daily walk.
- Ride your bike.
- Swim laps.
- If you can't fit in a long workout, break it up into smaller sessions spread throughout the day.

c.- Lose excess pounds.
- If you're overweight, losing even 10 pounds can reduce the risk of diabetes.
- To keep your weight in a healthy range, focus on permanent changes to your eating and exercise habits.
- Motivate yourself by remembering the benefits of losing weight, such as a healthier heart, more energy and improved self-esteem.

d.- Sometimes medication is an option as well.
- Oral diabetes drugs such as metformin (Glucophage) and rosiglitazone (Avandia) may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes —
- but healthy lifestyle choices remain essential.

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