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 when it isn’t able to use the insulin it does produce effectively.
Exercise, diet and medication can help to prevent or delay the onset of the disease. It is important to be aware of the signs, to determine if there is a problem and seek treatment.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic health problem (long-lasting), which alters how your body converts food into energy. It happens when your pancreas isn’t producing enough insulin or doesn’t utilize it as efficiently as it should.
Insulin is a hormone that helps your cells absorb and use sugar, which is called glucose. People suffering from type 2 diabetes aren’t able to make enough insulin, or their bodies can’t make it work properly.
The blood sugar levels rise over time in both types of diabetes. This can cause issues with the eyes, feet and kidneys. It may also damage your heart 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 cell in the pancreas. This destruction can occur over months or even years until it leads to an absence of insulin.
Insulin is a requirement for people with type 1 diabetes all day. They also must monitor their blood glucose levels and adjust insulin, food and activity levels to keep their blood sugar within the healthy range.
Type 2 diabetes
If you have type 2 diabetes your body doesn’t make insulin as it should. Insulin is a hormone that assists your cells to remove blood sugar (glucose) out of your blood and into your cells, where it can be used for energy.
Type 2 diabetics need to exercise and eat a balanced diet. They may also need to take medication to control their blood sugar levels.
Women with diabetes are afflicted with symptoms
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects people of all races, ethnicities, ages and genders. However women are at a higher risk than males.
Women with diabetes are more likely to experience complications, such as heart disease (the most frequent complication of diabetes) and loss of vision.
Polydipsia is a sign of warning for diabetes in women. This is because diabetes can result in excess sugar accumulation in your blood and kidneys are unable to filter it out.
The signs of diabetes in men
In diabetes, cells are unable to use blood sugar (glucose) to generate energy. This is usually because the pancreas produces too little insulin.
This can lead to elevated blood sugar levels. The body tries to reduce these levels by flushing excess glucose from your bloodstream through urine.
Diabetes patients are frequently thirsty, and they need to drink a lot of fluids.
Men can be able to experience weight loss too as their bodies break down muscle to make energy instead of fat. This is due to the fact that their blood sugar levels remain high for extended periods of time.
Diabetes diet
Making a balanced diabetes diet is a crucial aspect of managing your diabetes. It can help you manage your blood sugar, control your weight, and reduce risk factors for heart disease.
Include whole foods in your diet, including fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Also, low-fat dairy products as well as legumes, beans and beans are good choices. It should also be low in saturated (unhealthy) fat and added sugars.
You may also be able to reduce the amount of sugar-sweetened drinks you consume. These drinks often have plenty of sugar in them and can cause high blood sugar levels.
Diabetes medications
Your doctor may suggest diabetes medications to keep your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels within the normal range. These medications are usually combined with changes to your lifestyle, such as exercise and diet to manage the condition.
If your blood sugar levels are not being adequately controlled with one medication, you might need to take a different medication. Your doctor will help you determine the most appropriate medicine for your personal preferences and needs.
Newer medications like glucagon-like receptor antagonists for peptide-1 and sodium-glucose COtransporter-2 inhibitors decrease blood sugar levels, provide kidney and cardiovascular benefits and lower the risk of complications. They’re also helpful for weight loss and are available in tablet and injectable forms.