Testing For Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease that is brought on when a person’s body does not have the ability to produce the proper amount of insulin. Insulin is a hormone that the body uses to convert starches, sugars, and other types of foods into energy that it needs to keep itself going on a daily basis.

Many people have worked hard to determine what causes this diabetes - but none have been able to isolate the exact problem. They do know that obesity, genetics, and the lack of exercise are some of the main factors can play a large part.

Research shows that 23.6 million adults and children in the United States alone have diabetes. 17.9 million of those people have been diagnosed - but 5.7 million have no idea what they have and go untreated.

The best way to determine if one is affected by one of the four types of diabetes ( Type 1, Type 2, Gestational, and Pre-Diabetes) is to have your local healthcare physician conduct an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) or a Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPGT). The American Diabetes Association believes that the FPG is the best test to use because it is easier, less expensive, and faster to use.

If the FPG test detects the glucose level between 100 and 125 mg/dl than it is a sign of pre-diabetes. Someone with a fasting blood glucose level of 126 mg/dl or higher has diabetes.
The OGTT test measures a person’s blood glucose level after fasting and then two hours after drinking a glucose-rich beverage. If the blood glucose level is between 140 and 199 mg/dl then the person had pre-diabetes. If the level is at 200 mg/dl or higher then the person has diabetes.

Symptoms Of Diabetes

• Frequent urination
• Excessive thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Unusual weight loss
• Increased fatigue
• Irritability
• Blurry vision