Diabetes – What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious disease that affects millions of people every year. It happens when your body isn’t producing enough insulin, or when it can’t use the insulin it does produce effectively.
The good news is that it is treatable and can be prevented or delayed with diet, exercise and medication. It is also important to be aware of the signs, so you can tell whether you are suffering from a condition and seek treatment.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is an ongoing (long-lasting) disease that affects how your body converts food into energy. It occurs when your pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin or fails to properly use it.
Insulin is the hormone that helps your body absorb and use glucose, also referred to as sugar. Type 2 diabetics don’t make enough insulin, or their bodies cannot use it effectively.
In both forms of diabetes, blood sugar levels get excessively high over time. This can lead to problems with your eyes, kidneys and feet. It may also damage the heart and brain arteries as well as your brain.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune reaction, which means that your immune system attacks the pancreatic cells that produce insulin, and destroys them. This process can take many years or months before eventually resulting in a total lack of insulin.
Insulin is a requirement for people who suffer from type 1 diabetes each day. They must also keep an eye on their blood sugar levels and adjust their insulin, food and levels of exercise to keep their blood sugar in a healthy range.
Type 2 diabetes
If you suffer from type 2 diabetes your body isn’t functioning as insulin should. Insulin is a hormone that helps your cells to remove blood sugar (glucose) out of your blood and into your cells, where it can be used to create energy.
Type 2 diabetics must exercise and eat a healthy diet. They may also need to take medication to regulate their blood sugar levels.
Signs of women having diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects people of all races and ethnic groups age, genders, and ages. However, women are at a greater risk than men.
Women who suffer from diabetes are more likely to develop complications, such as heart disease (the most frequent diabetes-related complication) and loss of vision.
One early warning sign of women suffering from diabetes is a higher thirst and increased urination, called polydipsia. This is due to diabetes causing excessive sugar to accumulate in your blood and your kidneys aren’t equipped to eliminate it correctly.
Men with diabetes The signs and symptoms
In diabetes the cells are unable to use blood sugar (glucose) for energy. This usually happens because the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin.
This can lead to high blood glucose levels. Your body attempts to lower these levels by flushing excess glucose from your bloodstream through urine.
Patients with diabetes are usually thirsty, and need to drink lots of fluids.
Men can be able to experience weight loss too as their muscles are broken down by their bodies for energy, instead of fat. This is due to their blood sugar levels remain high for prolonged periods of time.
Diabetes diet
Developing a healthy diabetes diet is a vital aspect of managing your diabetes. It can help you control blood sugar levels, reduce your weight and the risk of developing heart disease.
Include whole foods in your diet, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Also, dairy products that are low in fat products such as beans, legumes, and beans are excellent choices. It should be free of added sugars and saturated fats (unhealthy).
You may also want to limit the amount of sweetened drinks with sugar you consume. These drinks are usually packed with sugar, which can cause blood sugar levels in the body to increase.
Diabetes medication
Your doctor might recommend diabetes medications to keep your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels within normal levels. These medications are typically combined with lifestyle changes like eating habits and exercise to help manage your diabetes.
If your blood sugar is not being controlled by one medication, you may need to add a second medication. Your doctor will assist you to select the most appropriate medicine for your requirements and preferences.
Newer medicines like glucagon-like receptor agonists, peptide-1, and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors reduce blood sugar, have kidney and cardiovascular benefits, and reduce the risk of complications. They also aid in weight loss and are available in injectable and tablet forms.