In diabetes, too much fat traveling in the bloodstream interferes with the insulin receptors to allow glucose into the body cells. The fat can decrease the number of receptors insensitive and inefficient to allow the glucose in. Thus more insulin is required to handle the glucose from the foods we eat. The body may be able to increase its insulin production up to a certain point. But when the body is unable to make enough insulin for its needs, diabetes is the result.

Logically the best solution to the problem is to reduce the body’s need for insulin. And in very simplified terms, there are three main ways to reduce the insulin requirement:

1. Eat fewer calories each day so that less insulin will be needed
2. Eat a more natural diet, lower in fat and higher in fiber, which will increase the quantity and sensitivity of the cell receptors.
3. Get more exercise in a regular basis

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Smoking is unhealthy for everyone. It can cause emphysema, bronchitis and lung cancer, and it more doubles the risk of having a heart attack. When a person inhales cigarette smoke, the nicotine in the smoke causes the blood vessels to temporarily become narrower. It makes the heart beat faster and raises the blood pressure Smoking also appears to contribute to the accumulation of the more permanent fatty plaque on the lining of the blood vessels, a condition known as atherosclerosis,  or hardening of the arteries.

If you have diabetes, smoking is especially dangerous. Diabetics already have a high risk of blood vessel diseases, but smoking increases that risk even more. The narrowing of the arteries reduces the blood flow to all parts of the body, increasing the risk of kidney disease and the eye complication called diabetic retinopathy. Smoking can also result in circulation problems which may eventually lead to amputation of foot or leg.

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Poor control of diabetes can be dangerous to the baby and to you. In addition to the deformities possible if the mother has poor blood sugar control during the early weeks of pregnancy, there may also be problems with excess fluid in the birth sac and respiratory distress of the baby at birth. The baby may also have jaundice, a yellowing of the skin, soon after birth. However, most of these diabetes related complications can be prevented by good diabetes control throughout the pregnancy.

Diabetics often have big babies. There may be nothing you can do about that, and it generally is not a cause for serious concern. However, if the baby is quite large, it may be necessary for the doctor to deliver the baby by a Cesarean operation. The doctor may also advise delivery a week or two before the due date if the baby is very large. Although women in some countries and cultures prefer to have their babies delivered at home, a diabetic woman should always go to the hospital for her delivery.

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