Diabetes – What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious illness that affects millions of people each year. It is caused when the body fails to make enough insulin or utilize the insulin it does have effectively.
Diet, exercise and medication can all help in preventing or delaying the disease. It is also crucial to understand the symptoms so you can tell whether you have a problem and seek treatment.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is an ongoing (long-lasting) disease that affects the way your body transforms food into energy. It happens when your pancreas stops making enough insulin or doesn’t utilize it as well as it should.
Insulin is the hormone that helps your body absorb and use glucose, also referred to as sugar. People with type 2 diabetes do not produce enough insulin or their bodies don’t make it work properly.
In both types of diabetes, blood sugar levels can become too high in time. This can cause issues with the kidneys, eyes and feet. It could also cause damage to blood vessels in your heart as well as the brain.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune reaction, which means that your immune system attacks the pancreatic insulin-producing cells and destroys them. The destruction can happen over months or even for years before resulting in an absence of insulin.
People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every 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 within an acceptable range.
Type 2 diabetes
If you suffer from type 2 diabetes the body does not use insulin the way it should. Insulin is a hormone which helps your cells to remove blood sugar (glucose) out of your blood and into your cells, where it can be used to create energy.
People with type 2 diabetes must treat their condition by consuming a balanced diet and exercise. They may also have to take medication to regulate their blood sugar levels.
The signs of diabetes in women
Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects people of all races and ethnic groups, ages, and genders. However women are at higher risk than men.
Women with diabetes are at a greater risk likelihood of developing complications than men, including heart disease (the most common diabetes complication) and loss of vision.
One of the early signs of women with diabetes is a rise in thirst and urinary frequency, also known as polydipsia. This is due to diabetes causing excessive sugar to accumulate in your blood and your kidneys don’t have the capacity to filter it out in a proper manner.
Men who suffer from diabetes show signs
Diabetes is a disease in which cells are not able to use glucose (blood sugar) to generate energy. This is typically because the pancreas is producing too little insulin.
This can result in high blood glucose levels. Your body then tries to lower these levels by flushing excess glucose from your bloodstream via 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 bodies break down muscle for energy instead of fat. This is due to the fact that their blood sugar levels remain high for long periods of time.
Diabetes diet
Developing a healthy diabetes diet is a vital aspect of managing your condition. It can help you control blood sugar levels, manage weight and decrease the risk factors that can lead to heart disease.
Include whole foods in your diet, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Also, low-fat dairy products, beans, and legumes are excellent choices. It should be free of added sugars and saturated fats (unhealthy).
You might want to limit your intake of drinks sweetened with sugar. These drinks typically contain a lot of sugar in them that can cause elevated blood sugar levels.
Diabetes medications
Your doctor might prescribe diabetes medications to keep your blood sugar (glucose) levels within a normal range. These medications are often combined with lifestyle changes, like exercise and diet to manage the condition.
If your blood sugar is not well controlled with one medicine, you may require a second medication. Your doctor will help you pick the best medication to meet your needs and preferences.
The latest medications, including sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor antagonists, lower blood sugar and have benefits for the kidneys and cardiovascular system, as well as reducing the risk of complications. They are also useful for weight loss, and come in both tablet and injection forms.