Shocking Diabetes Indicators
Surprising Diabetes Indicators
By Katherine Steinberg
More than 26 million people are living with diabetes in the United States, with 24 percent of cases going undiagnosed, according the American Diabetes Association. You may be at risk and not even know it. Take a look at some surprising diabetes indicators and see if you're at a higher risk than you thought.
Eyebrow Color
Have your brows stayed dark while the rest of your hair has turned gray? You may want to get a fasting-glucose test from your doctor. A German study of 100 men between the ages of 50 and 70 with graying hair found that 76 percent of the men with dark brows had diabetes, compared to 18 percent of the gray-browed men. The theory is that diabetes may inhibit the graying process in eyebrow hair.
Breast Size
If you're a size D or larger at age 20, you may be up to five times more likely to develop diabetes than your flat-chested friends, according to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. This finding is surprising because it indicates that breast size is a significant factor independent of body mass index (BMI). However powerful these findings, more studies and research remains to be done to be entirely conclusive.
Birth Month
New research suggests that the month in which you are born could play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes, reports the American Diabetes Association. More than 10,000 children were studied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Diabetes Translation. The results showed that May babies were more likely than November babies to develop type 1 diabetes in the U.S. This trend was strongest in the northern parts of the United States. The reasoning behind this is currently unknown, but may be due to mother's diet or exposure to solar radiation.
Hearing Loss
Previously overlooked, hearing loss has now been linked to diabetes as a complication, possibly due to hypoglycemia. Hearing loss was twice as prevalent in people with diabetes, as their healthy counterparts; found a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. "Complications of diabetes are very widespread and this is yet another one," says Dr. Judith Fradkin Director, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, & Metabolic Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. The trouble is that with the population at risk for diabetes is now further at risk for hearing loss.
Short Legs
Bad news for some shorties out there, researchers at Johns Hopkins University conducted a study of 3,600 men and found that men with shorter legs were more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than their long-legged buddies reports CBS News. It's not actually height that impacts diabetes risk, but the leg-to-height ratio. This finding hints at something more in terms of diabetes risk going in during fetal development. "The whole issue of intrauterine environment affects growth of offspring, but also potentially affects the subsequent risk of developing diabetes and obesity," says Dr. Fradkin.
Slow-Healing Cuts
If you find that your cuts are sticking around longer it may not be that they're deeper, it may be type 2 diabetes. Diabetics often suffer from a condition called atherosclerosis, which is the thickening of vessel walls and the subsequent thinning of blood vessels. With thicker walls and thinner cells, the blood stream has more trouble carrying white blood cells, the infection fighters, to the site of the cut, thus delaying your healing time. For wound healing you have to have good vascularization, Dr. Fradkin says. It's even more important to understand the vascular changes in diabetes because it could help people before getting to the point of amputation, she adds.
Tooth Loss
If you have periodontal disease or tooth loss you are at increased risk for diabetes, according to the Harvard Schools of Public Health and Dental Medicine. They concluded from their studies that tooth loss raised the risk of diabetes for both sexes by 14 to 29 percent. Periodontal disease is thought to be a complication of diabetes, but perhaps it may serve as an early indicator.
Hair Loss
Something else diabetics with atherosclerosis may notice is a loss of hair or thinning hair. When there is a thickening of blood vessel walls the blood vessels narrow. This can occur in blood vessels all over your body, including your skin. Narrow blood vessels mean less oxygen, which causes symptoms like hair loss as well as shiny skin and thickened skin. Hair loss is not limited to any one specific area of the body. "With circulatory impairment in your legs, you could often see hair loss on your legs." Says Dr. Fradkin.
Pesticide Exposure
If you're a farmer, you may be raising your risk for diabetes, considering that long-term exposure to pesticides and herbicides have been found to increase diabetes risk. The American Journal of Epidemiology published an Agricultural Health Study of Iowa farmers, which found that pesticides may be a contributing factor in diabetes. However, the amount of pesticides the population is regularly exposed to are low, and not as powerful an indicator as obesity and family history.
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Recent Comments
WO8L 02:21:42 PM Jul 21 2008
The biggest single correlating factor in developing diabetes is age. Ditto heart disease, cancer, etc. So, it figures the raw number of occurences for various diseases goes up as the population is increasing older.Only 8 percent of the U.S. population has been diagnosed as having diabetes under expanded and still expanding definitions of the disease. There is no distinction in the data from the American Diabetes Association regarding those those who are in no way impaired or at risk for premature death, need pills, need shots, are "pre-diabetic," or "borderline diabetic." "Pre-diabetic" and "borderline diabetic" are new, scientifically undefined terms but included in many statistical reports.More significantly, the ADA also offers no statistics regarding individuals, especially the elderly, who are diagnosed at some level of diabetes which was caused in conjunction with or as a result of other diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, etc., and their related treatment regimens.So,
JAJUAU 01:50:50 PM Jul 21 2008
it is a lifestyle disease. check out reversingdiabetes.com
Bosoxmasi 11:58:33 AM Jul 21 2008
the hair on my nuts are gray, does that mean I have a problem!
Fernwood2k 10:50:48 AM Jul 21 2008
Lets see Diabetic 44 years, no hair loss, eyeborw study does not pertain to me, birthday is in the fall, I do have hearing loss, I do heal slowly, I think most people have some form of dental problem and I did grow up on a farm. So they are about half right.
ZALEX828 02:06:00 PM Jul 20 2008
Diabetes is cheifly caused by the horrendous foods that corporations make readily available to the American consumer (yet are banned in every civilized country)--high fructose corn syrup, processed white flour, etc.Research GTF Chromium. Your ignorant doctor is a legalized drug pusher who knows nothing about nutrition and has no interest in curing you. Curing you makes him lose money.Take responsibility for your own boty and your own health. The RN who posted here is absolutely right about diet being crucial to the condition, developping it as well as managing it, though it can be CURED naturally. Do the research about natural methods.
LexGir2 01:57:42 PM Jul 20 2008
I am scared of diabetes but i just dont think this is how you tell . It is just a way to get attention and start a worry,so i just dont believe it.
Ko onoe 01:34:30 PM Jul 20 2008
Diabetes scares the crap out of me, it cripples every bodily function.Wow, so now small-breasted chicks have something on the big-boobed ones!Good info on the cause of hairloss.
KATTRAXZ 12:33:22 PM Jul 20 2008
As a professional Registered Nurse, I am always open to research studies, because it is absolutely necessary to stay current with new medical knowledge. However, I find myself really skeptical about these alleged studies. One of the things that is ALWAYS true is what you eat and how much you eat that affects your circulating blood glucose. I have found that reading labels on every single product you consume (BEFORE buying it) and eliminating all foods that contain High Fructose Corn Syrup which destroys the liver and causes false hunger and obesity is a giant step in managing your late onset diabetes. Eat natural as possible, eliminate sugar water (sodas) altogether.Pay attention to itchy skin, excessive thirst, excessive hunger, blurring vision and SEE your DOCTOR at once if any of these symptoms of potential diabetes manifest.
StephenAFarleyRN 12:01:32 PM Jul 20 2008
I hope none of you are foolilsh enough to listen to anything anyone says here. You don't know who has knowledge and who is simply passing along crap they've heard from someone somewhere. If you have questions or think you're diabetic talk to an MD or RN or a disabetic who's successfull managed their disease for years. Get the kind of information you deserve - don't be foolish enough to take the "advice" from someone you don't know about a disease that could easily killl you.
Ioanco 11:40:56 AM Jul 20 2008
thats rediculous- first of all WHAT ABOUT MINORITIES!!! HELLO PPL! WE DO NOT ALL AGE THE SAME WAYin fact most Indian, African american, Asian (chinese japanese, korean) do not get gray hair early like the WHITE ppl do. For all these races our hair usually gets white when we're in our mid 50s But i know plenty of white guys ages 37 to 48 that have graying or almost completely gray hair! WTF!!! damn scientists need to look at the world instead of just 1 type of person because they'll have a billion chinese ppl disagreeing with them
