Diabetes – What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious illness that affects millions of people every year. It is caused when the body fails to produce enough insulin or use the insulin that it produces effectively.
Exercise, diet and medication can help prevent or delay the development of the disease. It’s also crucial to be aware of the symptoms to determine what’s wrong and get treatment.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic health condition (long-lasting) that alters how your body converts food into energy. It happens when the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or is unable to utilize it in a proper manner.
Insulin is a hormone that assists cells absorb and utilize sugar, which is called glucose. Type 2 diabetics don’t produce enough insulin or aren’t able to utilize it in a proper way.
The blood sugar levels rise as time passes in both types of diabetes. This can cause issues with your feet, eyes and kidneys. It can also cause damage to the heart and brain arteries as well as your brain.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, meaning that the body’s immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells inside the pancreas. This destruction can happen over months or years until it eventually leads to the total absence of insulin.
Insulin is a requirement for people with type 1 diabetes all day. They must also monitor their blood sugar levels and adjust their insulin, food and levels of activity to keep their blood sugar levels within the normal range.
Type 2 diabetes
If you suffer from type 2 diabetes your body isn’t using insulin as it should. Insulin is a hormone that assists your cells remove blood sugar (glucose) out of your blood and into your cells, where it can be used to create energy.
Type 2 diabetes sufferers have to manage their condition by consuming a balanced diet and exercise. They may also need to take medications to control their blood sugar levels.
The signs of diabetes in women
Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects people of all races and ethnicities and ages as well as genders. Women are more at risk than men.
Women who suffer from diabetes have a higher chance of developing complications compared to men, including heart disease (the most frequent complication of diabetes) and vision loss.
One of the early signs of women suffering from diabetes is increased thirst and urination, called polydipsia. This is because diabetes can create excess sugar in your bloodstream and your kidneys are not able to remove it.
Diabetes in men: Symptoms
Diabetes is a condition in which cells are unable to use glucose (blood sugar) as energy source. This is typically due to the fact that the pancreas produces insufficient insulin.
This results in high blood sugar levels. Your body then attempts to reduce these levels by flushing the excess glucose from your bloodstream via urine.
Patients with diabetes are usually thirsty, and need to drink lots of fluids.
Men also may shed weight as their bodies make use of muscles to generate energy, not fat. This is because their blood sugar levels stay elevated for long periods.
Diabetes diet
Developing a healthy diabetes diet is a vital aspect of managing your diabetes. It can help control blood sugar levels, manage weight and reduce the risk factors for heart disease.
Your diet should comprise plenty of whole foods, such as fruits vegetables, whole grains as well as beans and dairy that is low in fat. It should be free of added sugars and saturated fats (unhealthy).
You might also be able to reduce the amount of sweetened drinks with sugar you consume. These drinks typically contain plenty of sugar that can cause high blood sugar levels.
Diabetes medication
Your doctor may recommend diabetes medications to keep your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels in normal levels. These medications are typically used with lifestyle changes like eating habits and exercise to help manage your diabetes.
If your blood sugar levels aren’t managed on one medication then a second medication could be added. Your doctor will work with you to select the most appropriate medicine for your requirements and preferences.
Newer medications, like sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor antagonists, lower blood sugar and offer benefits for the kidneys and cardiovascular system, while reducing the chance of developing complications. They can also be beneficial for weight loss and are available in injectable and tablet forms.