Yahoo News Experts warn of five diabetes red flags to look out for - including change to skin
A pharmacist has issued a health warning over an epidemic which has seen more than one billion people classed as obese. As prediabetes skyrockets to over 15million affected individuals in the UK alone, pharmacist and ProLongevity founder Graham Phillips, who as more than 35 years of experience is advocating for a proactive approach.
Following decades of work in the field, Phillips became disillusioned with traditional medication - observing that his patients were becoming heavier and sicker. He also found that medication only masked their problems instead of curing them.
He has since established ProLongevity - a service dedicated to helping people lose weight, reverse prediabetes, and stop type 2 diabetes dead in its tracks through monitoring blood sugar levels and advising necessary adjustments in lifestyle and diet. Graham has also highlighted five red flags to look out for pertaining to a high risk of diabetes.
Waist-to-height ratio -
The Mirror reports that Graham stands by a waist to height ratio as opposed to a Body Mass Index. He said: "If your waist circumference is more than half your height, you could be at risk of diabetes."
Overweight but still constantly hungry -
Graham added: "When insulin levels are high, your body effectively locks away fat stores, making it difficult to access them. This can lead to a situation where individuals gain ever more weight while simultaneously feeling hungrier than ever before."
Acanthosis or skin tags -
Skin conditions like acanthosis (darkened patches of skin) and even skin tags are a sign of underlying metabolic issues.
Signs of Metabolic Syndrome -
Slightly raised blood pressure, elevated blood sugar levels, excess body fat and abnormal cholesterol levels should never be ignored, as you could be developing Metabolic Syndrome. This not only increases your risk of diabetes, but also predicts a ten-year reduction in your life expectancy.
Being 'Hangry' -
Anger as a result of hunger may indicate 'rollercoaster' blood sugar levels, which can come from an imbalanced diet.
Graham added: "Spotting these warning signs early and acting upon them NOW can make a significant difference in halting diabetes in its tracks and extending overall life expectancy. In terms of overall health, what actually matters isn't how you look on the outside, it's about what's going on inside your body.
"This is absolutely unique to each individual and is exactly the basis on which we should provide diet and lifestyle advice. At ProLongevity, we monitor and analyse an individual's sugar spikes to be able to provide 'precision nutrition' advice, reverse pre-diabetes and restore metabolic health."
