Nobody wakes up one morning with diabetes. It is more like a story that runs slowly over many years. If we understand the story, we can stop it at the right chapter.
Chapter 1: Extra fat around the belly
When we eat more than the body needs, and sit for most of the day, extra fat gets stored. Fat around the belly and inside the body is the most troublesome. It sends out signals that make the body less sensitive to insulin.
Chapter 2: Insulin starts to struggle
This is called insulin resistance. The keys are there, but the locks are rusty. The pancreas works harder and makes more insulin to push the sugar into the cells. For some years, this works and the sugar stays normal.
Chapter 3: The pancreas gets tired
After many years of overwork, the pancreas cannot keep up. Sugar begins to rise, first after meals and then even on an empty stomach. This stage is called prediabetes. Most people feel completely fine here, which is why many miss it.
Chapter 4: Diabetes
When sugar crosses the diagnosis levels, we call it diabetes. Even now, many people have no symptoms for years.
Why Indians need to be extra careful
Studies show that Indians can develop diabetes at a lower body weight and at a younger age than people in many other countries. We tend to store fat around the belly even when the weight on the scale looks normal. That is why waist size matters, not just weight.
Where you can step in
The best part of this story is that you can change it, especially in Chapters 1 to 3. Losing even a small part of body weight, moving daily and eating better helped many people in large studies delay diabetes. In the Diabetes Prevention Program, lifestyle changes lowered the chance of getting diabetes by about 58 percent over three years in people with prediabetes.
If you live in Gopanpally, Gowlidoddi, Nallagandla or Tellapur, or work in the Financial District or Nanakramguda, a simple blood sugar check is available at our clinic in Gopanpally, Gachibowli. You can read more about our diabetes care or contact us to book a visit.
Keep reading
Your family doctor,
Akhila Reddy
MBBS, DNB (Family Medicine) | TSMC Reg. No. APMC/FMR/74261
AMC Hospital, Gopanpally, Gachibowli, Hyderabad
This article is for general health education and does not replace a check-up. Every person is different, so please speak to your doctor before changing any medicine. In an emergency, call 108 or go to the nearest hospital.
References
- Knowler WC et al. Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin (Diabetes Prevention Program). N Engl J Med 2002;346(6):393-403.
- Misra A et al. Consensus statement for diagnosis of obesity, abdominal obesity and the metabolic syndrome for Asian Indians. J Assoc Physicians India 2009;57:163-170.
- American Diabetes Association. Standards of Care in Diabetes-2025. Diabetes Care 2025;48(Suppl 1). https://diabetesjournals.org/care/issue/48/Supplement_1