Diabetes – What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious condition that affects millions each year. It occurs when your body isn’t producing enough insulin, or when it’s unable to utilize the insulin it does have effectively.
Exercise, diet and medication can all help in preventing or delaying the development of the disease. It is also essential to recognize the signs so you can tell whether there is a problem and seek treatment.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic illness (long-lasting), which affects the way your body converts food into energy. It occurs when your pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin or is unable to properly use it.
Insulin is the hormone that helps your body absorb and utilize glucose, also known as sugar. Type 2 diabetics do not produce enough insulin or aren’t able to use it in a proper way.
In both types of diabetes, blood sugar levels become too high over time. This can lead to problems with your eyes, feet, and kidneys. It could also harm your heart arteries and brain.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a disease caused by an autoimmune reaction, which means that your immune system attacks the insulin-producing pancreatic cells and destroys them. This destruction can occur over months or even years before resulting in a complete lack of insulin.
People with type 1 diabetes require insulin every day. They also must monitor their blood glucose levels and adjust the levels of insulin, food and activity levels to keep their blood sugar within an acceptable 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 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 suffering from type 2 diabetes need to treat their condition with a healthy diet and exercise. They may also have to take medicine to control their blood sugar levels.
Signs of diabetes in women
Diabetes is a chronic illness that affects all races and ethnic groups age, genders, and ages. Women are more at risk than men.
Women who suffer from diabetes have a higher likelihood of developing complications than men, including heart disease (the most frequent diabetes complication) and vision loss.
One of the first signs of women with diabetes is a higher thirst and increased urine, a condition known as polydipsia. This is because diabetes can result in excess sugar accumulation in your blood and your kidneys are not able to filter it out.
Symptoms of diabetes in men
In diabetes, cells are unable to make use of blood sugar (glucose) to produce energy. This is usually due to the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin.
This can result in high blood glucose levels. Your body will then try to lower these levels by flushing the excess glucose from your bloodstream through urine.
Diabetes patients are often thirsty, and need to drink a lot 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 their blood sugar levels remain elevated for long periods.
Diabetes diet
A balanced diet for diabetes is a crucial aspect of managing the condition. It can help regulate blood sugar levels, manage weight and decrease the risk factors for heart diseases.
Include whole foods in your diet, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Also, low-fat dairy products, beans, and legumes are great choices. It should be low in saturated fats and sugars as well as added sugars (unhealthy).
You might want to limit your intake of sweetened drinks with sugar. These drinks often have lots of sugar in them that can cause high 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 paired with lifestyle changes, such as exercising and diet to help control your diabetes.
If your blood sugar levels are not being adequately controlled with one medication, you might require a second medication. Your doctor will help you choose the best medicine to meet your needs and preferences.
Newer medicines like glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and sodium-glucose inhibitors that lower blood sugar levels, offer cardiovascular and kidney benefits, and reduce the risk of complications. They’re also helpful for weight loss and are available in injectable and tablet forms.