The writing is already on the wall: the World Health Organisation warns that about 422 million people worldwide currently have diabetes, and 1.5 million deaths are directly attributed to this chronic disease each year.
There are reasons, therefore, to remain on standby and pay attention to some signs your body gives to you, which medics say may be symptoms of diabetes. These include a sweet taste in your mouth, according to the Cleveland Clinic, a non-profit US academic medical centre based in Cleveland, Ohio.
The centre's specialists explained that most people sometimes notice an unexpected sweet taste when they are drinking pure water and that sometimes it indicates your body's inability to regulate its blood sugar level, which is a potential sign of diabetes.
The experts recalled that there's a hormone called glucagon "produced by your pancreas that works with the hormone insulin to regulate your body's blood sugar levels".
"While insulin prevents high blood sugar levels, glucagon's job is to keep your blood sugar level from dropping too low. Those hormones can get out of whack with diabetes and that could cause higher blood sugar levels that can result in a sweet taste in the mouth", they stressed.
On the other hand, when high blood sugar levels go untreated, all this can develop into hyperglycemia and lead to the development of so-called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). "One of the symptoms of DKA is a sort of sweet, fruity-smell on the breath which can also cause a sweet taste in the mouth", experts added.
This doesn't necessarily mean that all those who feel a sweet taste in their mouth have diabetes, but if you changed your glass, and checked the quality of water and your health for possible acid reflux and the sweet taste still persists – then please don't hesitate to take your blood sugar level as soon as possible.