Diabetes – What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious condition that affects millions of people each year. It happens when your body doesn’t produce enough insulin, or it’s unable to utilize the insulin it does have effectively.
Exercise, diet and medication can help to prevent or delay the onset of the disease. It is important to understand the symptoms to determine whether there is a problem and seek treatment.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic health issue (long-lasting) that affects the way your body converts food into energy. It occurs when the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or fails to properly use it.
Insulin is the hormone that aids your body to absorb and utilize glucose, also referred to as sugar. Type 2 diabetics don’t make enough insulin, or their bodies aren’t able to use it in a proper way.
In both types of diabetes, blood sugar levels get excessively high over time. This can cause problems with the eyes, kidneys and feet. It could also cause damage to coronary arteries and brain.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease, meaning that the body’s immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells within the pancreas. The destruction can happen over months or even years and eventually lead to a complete lack of insulin.
Insulin is required by those with type 1 diabetes every day. They must also monitor their blood sugar levels and adjust their insulin, food and levels of exercise to keep their blood sugar levels within the normal range.
Type 2 diabetes
If you suffer from type 2 diabetes your body isn’t producing 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 as energy.
Type 2 diabetics must exercise and adhere to a healthy diet. They may also need to take medication to control their blood sugar levels.
Women with diabetes are afflicted with symptoms
It is a chronic illness that affects people of all races, ethnicities and genders. Women are at higher risk than men.
Women with diabetes have a greater chance of developing complications compared to men, such as heart disease (the most commonly reported diabetes complication) and loss of vision.
One of the early warning signs of diabetes in women is a higher thirst and increased the frequency of urination, which is known as polydipsia. This is due to diabetes causing excessive sugar to accumulate in your blood and your kidneys aren’t equipped to filter it out effectively.
Men with diabetes Men: Symptoms
Diabetes is a condition in which cells are unable to use glucose (blood sugar) to generate energy. This is typically because the pancreas produces too little insulin.
This leads to elevated blood sugar levels. Your body will then attempt to lower these levels by flushing out the excess glucose from your bloodstream via urine.
People with diabetes are typically thirsty, and they need to drink lots of fluids.
The men may also lose weight since their bodies rely on muscles for energy instead of fat. This is due to the fact that the blood sugar level stays high for extended periods of time.
Diabetes diet
A healthy diet with a low-carbohydrate diet can be a key part of managing the condition. It can help control blood sugar levels, manage weight and decrease risk factors for heart disease.
Your diet should consist of a wide range of whole food items, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and low-fat dairy. It should be free of added sugars and saturated fats (unhealthy).
You may also consider limiting the amount of sweetened drinks with sugar you consume. These drinks often have high levels of sugar in them that can cause elevated blood sugar levels.
Diabetes medications
Your doctor may prescribe diabetes medications to help keep your blood sugar (glucose) levels within an acceptable range. These medications are typically used with lifestyle changes like exercising and diet to manage your diabetes.
If your blood sugar is not being managed well with one medication, you might need to add a second medication. Your doctor will assist you to determine the best medicine for your requirements and preferences.
Newer medicines, such as sodium-glucose -cotransporter-2 inhibitors, and glucagon peptide-1 receptor antagonists, lower blood sugar and offer benefits for the kidneys and cardiovascular system, while reducing the risk of complications. They are also useful for weight loss, and they are available in tablet and injection forms.