How Diabetes Affects Men
It is a common belief that the effects of diabetes are the same in all people suffering from the disease. While this can be true to some, it is still factual to say that the effects of diabetes vary from one person to another. There are also some other things that may change the effects of diabetes. These are gender, race, lifestyle, diet, family history and level of activity.
Based on the report published by Circulation in 2006, men are more prone to having diabetes. Moreover, men tend to be unaware of the diabetes symptoms and this increases the chance for complications to develop. Complications that developed because diabetes was not diagnosed and treated early may be the cause of modification of a certain lifestyle. Early stages of complications in males may be visual problems, kidney failures, damages in nerves, cardiovascular and heart-related problems, legs, feet and hand amputation and impotence.
Males tend to be very egoistic. They want to maintain their male strength and machismo by not getting help from the doctors and medical experts. They also do not want to enliven the changes they need to apply in their lifestyle. Because of this, the risks of getting complications from diabetes are aggravated. Certain studies also show that males are more prone to having visual problems that may eventually lead to blindness.
Diet plays a very big role in staying healthy much more to those who were diagnosed with diabetes. This is the very first thing diabetic patients have to remember. However, this is also one part of lifestyle changes that males fail to follow. Men tend to stick to their usual diet such as foods that are very high in cholesterol and unsaturated fats, junk foods and others that are proven not to be healthy for the body. It is very rare that men will order vegetables and salads from the restaurant most especially when they are going out with group of males.
Another thing that has been a habit to men and one of the things that men tend to stick on is alcohol drinking. While alcohol may pose good effects in the body, this is only true if alcohol is moderately taken. However, to those who are suffering from diabetes, their livers tend to be very sensitive to alcohol substances. When the liver detects the presence of alcohol in the body, it stops producing glucose and this may lead to the decrease and fall of blood sugar level. This event is fetal and may even be deadly. Because males cannot be easily stopped from drinking alcohol, The American Diabetes Association suggests that it is alright for diabetic males to drink alcohol as long as they do this after eating meals or snacks.
Males also fail to see how quitting smoking will benefit them. People with diabetes who smoke are three times more likely to die of heart disease than other people with diabetes. Smoking increases one's blood pressure and raises the blood sugar levels, making it harder to control diabetes. Smoking causes damage to and narrows the blood vessels. This harm can worsen foot ulcers and lead to atherosclerosis and leg and foot infections. Diabetic smokers are more likely to suffer nerve damage and kidney disease. Smokers get colds and respiratory infections easier.
Men are also not very particular in monitoring the level of their blood sugar. This is very dangerous especially when they are diagnosed with diabetes. Continuous and regular rising and falling of blood sugar level is unsafe and fetal.
Let us face a simple fact; men are stubborn and bull-headed! They do not want to appear weak, so they will not go to their physician when symptoms of diabetes arise. This ends up in them having diabetes for a longer period of time before treatments are initiated, which then results in complications such as blindness, heart attack, kidney disease, and amputation. All of which could have been easily avoided, if men had simply just went to their physician on a more regular basis, or opened up and discussed possible problems that they may be experiencing.
Article Source: http://www.search-raven.com
About the Author
Julia Hanf author of the book How To Play the Diabetes Diet Game and Win Through a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free. Visit http://www.yourdiabetescure.com and learn more about your solution for diabetes.
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by: JuliaHanf
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