Diabetes – What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious disease that affects millions each year. It is caused when your body isn’t producing enough insulin, or it isn’t able to use the insulin it does have effectively.
Exercise, diet and medication can help prevent or delay the development of the disease. It is also essential to understand the symptoms to determine whether you have a problem and seek treatment.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is an ongoing (long-lasting) disease that affects the way your body converts food into energy. It occurs when the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or isn’t able to properly use it.
Insulin is a hormone that assists your cells absorb and use sugar, which is called glucose. Type 2 diabetics aren’t producing enough insulin or their bodies cannot use it correctly.
In both forms of diabetes, blood sugar levels are too high over time. This can lead to problems in the feet, eyes and kidneys. It could also harm your heart arteries and brain.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition, meaning that your body’s immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells inside the pancreas. This process can take months or years until it eventually leads to the complete absence of insulin.
Insulin is needed by people who suffer from type 1 diabetes each day. They must also monitor their blood glucose levels and adjust their food, insulin and activity levels to keep their blood glucose within a healthy range.
Type 2 diabetes
If you have type 2 diabetes your body may not make insulin as it should. Insulin is a hormonal substance that aids your cells in moving glucose (blood sugar) from your blood into your cells, which can then be used as energy.
People with type 2 diabetes have to manage their condition with a healthy diet and regular exercise. They may also need to take medications to control their blood glucose levels.
Signs of diabetes in women
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects people from all races, ethnicities and genders. Women are at higher risk than men.
Women with diabetes are more prone to experience complications, including heart disease (the most frequent complication of diabetes), and vision loss.
Polydipsia is one of the warning signs for women with diabetes. This is because diabetes can create excess sugar in your blood and kidneys are unable to eliminate it.
Men with symptoms of diabetes
Diabetes is a condition that occurs when cells are unable use glucose (blood sugar) as energy. This is usually because the pancreas produces insufficient insulin.
This results in elevated blood sugar levels. Your body then attempts to lower these levels by flushing excess glucose from your bloodstream through urine.
People with diabetes are typically thirsty, and need to drink plenty of fluids.
Men may also experience weight loss because their bodies break down muscle for energy, instead of fat. This is due to the fact that the blood sugar level stays high for prolonged periods of time.
Diabetes diet
A healthy diet for diabetes is a crucial aspect of managing the condition. It can help you control blood sugar levels, reduce your weight and the risk of heart disease by reducing risk factors.
Include whole foods in your diet, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Also, low-fat dairy products as well as legumes, beans and beans are excellent choices. It should also be low in saturated (unhealthy) fats and added sugars.
You might need to limit your consumption of drinks that are sweetened with sugar. These drinks are often high in sugar, which can cause blood sugar levels in the body to increase.
Diabetes medications
Your doctor might prescribe diabetes medications to help keep your blood sugar (glucose) levels within the normal range. These medications are typically combined with lifestyle changes such as exercising and diet to help control your diabetes.
If your blood sugar levels are not being managed well with one medication, you may need to add a second medication. Your doctor will assist you choose the best medicine to suit your preferences and needs.
Newer medicines, such as sodium-glucose-cotransporter-2 inhibitors as well as glucagon antagonists of the peptide-1 receptors, lower blood sugar and have benefits for the kidneys and cardiovascular system, as well as reducing the chance of developing complications. They’re also helpful for weight loss and are available in injectable and tablet forms.