The little-known signs your body is heading for diabetes – and what to do about it before it’s too late

A health expert has revealed little-known signs that your body may be heading towards type 2 diabetes and what you can do about it.

Dr. Marla Jiraka PhD lecturer and researcher in the fields of health, stress management and behavior change, took to TikTok to list symptoms that could indicate a pre-diabetic body.

The US health coach has broken down the science-backed symptoms, including dark spots on the skin, skin tags and ‘oily’ necks.

“These 90 seconds could probably save a lot of people’s lives,” she said.

Although a larger-than-average waist is the symptom most are aware of, Dr. Jirak said this is just one of many changes in the body that can occur before a diabetes diagnosis.

Dark spots are a lesser known signal that something is wrong. They often occur suddenly in the neck or under the arms.

According to the examples she shared, these patches look ultra-tanned and have a slightly different texture.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), they also occur in places where the skin folds, including the groin, arms and knees.

Skin tags can also indicate a possible diabetes diagnosis, especially around the neck or on the eyelids.

Skin tags are small bumps that are usually the same color as your skin. They can be distinguished from other skin abnormalities by the ‘stems’ to which they are attached.

The next thing to consider, according to Dr. Marla, is the size of your waist.

A waist size over 40 inches is a red flag for men, while a waist size over 33 inches puts women at greater risk.

Interestingly, swollen feet are also a symptom most often dismissed, especially as they get older.

This symptom indicates water retention, which can be a sign of poor circulation and uncontrolled blood sugar levels.

Perhaps the most interesting symptom Dr. Jirak mentioned is a “thick neck,” which often leads to discomfort while sleeping.

‘Thick necks’ – also called insulin necks – are those with a circumference of more than 37 cm for men and 34 cm for women.

Skin tags can also indicate a possible diabetes diagnosis, especially around the neck or on the eyelids

An insulin neck ‘is not just fat’. You can recognize it by looking at someone’s neck and it usually looks like an obvious roll with deep lines and grooves.

Those on the path to developing diabetes may also suffer from sleep apnea.

‘Floppy’ arms and a bump on the neck are two more signs that you are at risk.

High blood glucose from a high-sugar diet can cause a drop in testosterone levels, which can lead to muscle loss and cause ‘flabbier’ than normal arms.

Flabby arms are not always linked to diabetes, they can also be due to hormones, aging and genes.

Finally, if you touch your stomach and it is hard and closed, you may have a problem. This may indicate that your body is in ‘fat storage mode’ and has insulin resistance.

Although Dr. Jirak is not a doctor, she has studied health extensively and has found that many of these symptoms are due to high blood sugar.

“Our bloodstream should only contain one teaspoon of sugar at a time,” she warned.

“But thanks to modern food and environments, we often have much more than that.”

She claims that many of the problems can be solved by changing your diet, eating more fiber and cutting down on sugary foods, but as always it’s best to talk to a doctor and get tested regularly if anything seems wrong. are.