Diabetes – What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious illness that affects millions of people each year. It occurs when your body isn’t producing enough insulin, or when it isn’t able to use the insulin it does produce effectively.
The good news is that it can be treated and prevented or delayed by diet, exercise and medication. It is also crucial to be aware of the signs, to determine 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 isn’t producing enough insulin or fails to properly use it.
Insulin is a hormone that helps your cells absorb and use sugar, which is known as glucose. People suffering from type 2 diabetes don’t produce enough insulin, or their bodies can’t utilize it correctly.
In both forms of diabetes, blood sugar levels can become excessively high over time. This can cause issues in the feet, eyes and kidneys. It could also cause damage to blood vessels in your heart and brain.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition and means that the body’s immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells inside the pancreas. This process can last for months or even years, eventually resulting in the absence of insulin completely.
Insulin is needed by people with type 1 diabetes every day. They must also monitor their blood glucose levels and adjust their food, insulin and activity levels in order to keep their blood glucose within an acceptable range.
Type 2 diabetes
If you have type 2 diabetes the body does not make insulin as it should. Insulin is a hormone which helps your cells remove blood sugar (glucose) out of your blood and into your cells where it can be used as energy.
Type 2 diabetics must exercise and adhere to a healthy diet. They may also have to take medications to control their blood sugar levels.
Symptoms of diabetes in women
Diabetes is a chronic illness that affects all races and ethnicities and ages as well as genders. However women are at a greater risk than men.
Women with diabetes are more prone to develop complications, like heart disease (the most common complication associated with diabetes), and vision loss.
One of the early signs of women with diabetes is increased thirst and urine, a condition known as polydipsia. This is because diabetes can result in excess sugar accumulation in your blood and kidneys are unable to filter it out.
Men with symptoms of diabetes
In the case of diabetes it is when cells are unable make use of blood sugar (glucose) to generate energy. This is usually because the pancreas ceases to produce enough insulin.
This can result in high blood glucose levels. The body then attempts to lower the level by flushing the excess glucose in your bloodstream through urine.
Patients with diabetes are usually thirsty, and they need to drink plenty of fluids.
Men can also lose weight since their bodies make use of muscles to generate energy, not fat. This is due to the fact that the blood sugar level stays high for long periods of time.
Diabetes diet
A healthy diet for diabetes is a vital aspect of managing your condition. It can help you control blood sugar, manage your weight, and lower the risk of developing heart disease.
Your diet should consist of a wide range of whole foods, including fruits vegetables, whole grains beans, low-fat dairy and legumes. It should be free of added sugars and saturated fats (unhealthy).
You might want to limit your intake of sweetened drinks with sugar. These drinks often have a lot of sugar in them which can result in elevated blood sugar levels.
Diabetes medication
Your doctor may recommend diabetes medications to keep your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels within the normal range. These medicines are usually combined with lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise to help control your diabetes.
If your blood sugar levels are not being managed well with one medication, you might need to take a different medication. Your doctor will help you pick the best medication to suit your preferences and needs.
Newer medicines, such as sodium-glucose-cotransporter-2 inhibitors as well as glucagon peptide-1 receptor antagonists, lower blood sugar and offer benefits for the kidneys and cardiovascular system, as well as reducing the risk of complications. They’re also helpful for weight loss and are available in injectable and tablet forms.