The 4 P’s of Diabetes: Signs you shouldn’t ignore

Today, there are blood tests that confirm the presence of diabetes, such as blood glucose, insulin, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). But do you know what other signs your body gives you when you're having blood sugar problems?

Most people would likely say no, so here we present the 4 "P"s of diabetes:

The 4 “P”s of Diabetes‍

• Unintentional weight loss (mainly in type 1 diabetes)
• Polydipsia: Excessive thirst
• Polyuria: Frequent urination
• Polyphagia: Constant hunger without feeling full

These symptoms are often overlooked. However, proper control and management of diabetes is crucial, as poor nutritional and medical management can lead to complications (Arredondo A., 2016 et al).

Complications

• Hypoglycemia: The American Diabetes Association (ADA) defines it as low blood sugar levels (≤70 mg/dL), with symptoms such as dizziness, tingling, nausea, shaking, dry mouth, and nervous system symptoms (irritability, anxiety, etc.).
• Hyperglycemia: When blood glucose levels are high (≥200 mg/dL), often due to poor dietary and medication control.
• Kidney, eye, and nerve damage, and diabetic foot: Excess blood glucose can damage capillaries and nerve endings in various organs, leading to complications.
• Dyslipidemia: Caused by excess blood glucose that is metabolized into triglycerides by the liver, also increasing LDL and VLDL cholesterol (mostly in type 2 diabetes).

As you can see, inflammation caused by diabetes, combined with poor dietary control, genetic predisposition, and stressors, can impact multiple systems in your body. So, what should you do to reduce inflammation and its complications?

Recommendations

Here are 6 tips to guide you in recovering your health:

1. Remove enemy foods that are inflammatory and cause leaky gut, such as: simple carbohydrates (sugar), grains, dairy, and processed foods.
2. Remove environmental toxins: pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, electromagnetic waves, microwaves, etc.
3. Improve your microbiota: A proper diet helps prevent the overgrowth of pathogenic microorganisms, which feed on the carbs mentioned above. Some studies also show that parasitic infections or viruses (such as cytomegalovirus) can stress the immune system enough to trigger antibody production against the pancreas, leading to type 1 diabetes (Guillermo Guzmán Gómez et al., 2016).
4. Replenish with friendly foods to recover energy, nutrients, and health: Add fiber-rich foods such as roots, tubers, legumes, vegetables, low-glycemic fruits, and heart-healthy fats to your diet.
5. Restore gut health: A leaky gut results from a diet rich in harmful foods, allowing toxins and undigested particles to enter the bloodstream and increase inflammation. Removing these culprits can help reduce inflammation.
6. Exercise: Physical activity helps muscles use glucose for energy, increases insulin sensitivity, and reduces excess body weight — all of which improve the hormone’s effectiveness.

Now that you have these tips in hand, we encourage you to put them into practice daily. Don’t forget to seek nutritional guidance, because sugar won’t be the only thing you’ll need to remove if you have diabetes.  Diagnosing diabetes is as important as identifying your food sensitivities — both contribute to inflammation.

Taking action early by applying the 3R Protocol can help you recover your health safely.

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Bs. Natalia Rosal

Nutritionist-Dietitian‍

‍NutriWhite Ambassador

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References:

1. Arredondo A. (2016) y col: “Asumiendo el control de la diabetes” http://oment.uanl.mx/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/FMidete_Asumiendo-Control-Diabetes-2016.pdf
2. Guillermo Guzmán Gómez, y col (2016): Diabetes de novo postrasplante (NODAT) http://www.sedyt.org/revistas/2017_38_1/deiabetes-de-novo.pdf