Diabetes Mellitus & Stress

Assalamualaikum.

Today is such a calm day for me without any classes except for the practical this evening. So, I take this opportunity to share with you guys about good medical information that relates with our daily routine. Actually, I look forward to writing this blog post as this is a part of my literature search that people out there should really know and get preventive steps (prophylaxis to be precise) before the prevalence of this disease gets increased from day to day.

Before that, just wanna inform you guys that my topic in this subject connects the idea between stress and diabetes mellitus. It’s not a surprise if most of us get aware how uncontrolled stress may lead to unhealthy lifestyle and diseases. But we usually relate it with hypertension. So how about diabetes? Is it true that stress can also cause diabetes? If that how? Let’s read these facts first.

Stress increases the heart rate and release of catecholamines from adrenal glands.

Stress may also release hormones including growth hormones, thyroid stimulating hormones and glucagon.

Adrenaline (catecholamine) is found to reduce the sensitivity of glucose for insulin action and increase glycogen breakdown and fat mobilization.

Adrenal steroids can increase gluconeogenesis in the liver (generation of glucose from non-carbohydrate carbon substrates).

Cortisol released during stressful condition plays a major role in breakdown of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins to energy to the body.

I bet all medical students understand all the facts above. But for people out there, u need to know that stress may stimulate many biochemical reactions in our body that eventually lead to the increase in blood glucose level. In addition to the unhealthy lifestyle such as excessive intake of high calories diet and less exercise, this condition will worsen and individuals are prone to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus in middle age (above 30 years).

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s change our habit to get away from emotional imbalance, ‘moody’ like feeling, uncontrolled tension due to surrounding (people around you especially), so on and so forth. I admit that previously I couldn’t tolerate with angry and stressful circumstances that make me sometimes become depressed. But lately, I struggled so hard to eliminate all those things and let people comment me in their hurting way as long as I know I’m not doing wrong. If there are people don’t like you, just ignore them as there are still many people care about you.

No stress, smile always! :) Ma’as salamah.