Diabetes – What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious disease that affects millions of people every year. It is caused when your body isn’t producing enough insulin, or it can’t use the insulin it does produce effectively.
Exercise, diet and medication can help prevent or delay the disease. It’s also crucial to be aware of the symptoms to determine if something is wrong and seek treatment.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is an ongoing (long-lasting) disease that affects the way your body converts food into energy. It happens when your pancreas isn’t producing enough insulin or is unable to properly use it.
Insulin is the hormone that aids your body absorb and utilize glucose, also referred to as sugar. Type 2 diabetics aren’t producing enough insulin or their bodies cannot use it in a proper way.
The blood sugar levels rise as time passes in both types of diabetes. This can cause issues in the feet, eyes and kidneys. It can also harm the blood vessels in your heart and brain.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune reaction, which means that your immune system attacks insulin-producing pancreatic cells and destroys them. The process of destruction can last for months or even years before eventually resulting in an inability to produce insulin.
Insulin is needed by people with type 1 diabetes all day. They also need to monitor their blood sugar levels and adjust their insulin, food and activity levels to keep their blood sugar within an acceptable range.
Type 2 diabetes
If you have type 2 diabetes, your body does not make use of insulin as it should. Insulin is a hormone that assists your cells get blood sugar (glucose) out of your blood and into your cells, where it can be used as energy.
Type 2 diabetics have to exercise and follow a healthy diet. They may also need to take medication to control their blood sugar levels.
Women with diabetes are more likely to experience symptoms
It is a chronic illness that affects people from all races, ethnicities, ages and genders. However women are at a higher risk than males.
Women with diabetes have a higher chance of developing complications compared to men, including heart disease (the most common diabetes complication) and loss of vision.
Polydipsia is a sign of warning for women suffering from diabetes. This is due to diabetes causing excessive sugar to accumulate in your blood and your kidneys don’t have the capacity to remove it effectively.
Men who suffer from diabetes show signs
In diabetes, cells are unable to use blood sugar (glucose) to generate energy. This is usually because the pancreas is producing too little insulin.
This can result in high blood glucose levels. The body then attempts to lower these levels by flushing the excess glucose in your bloodstream via urine.
Diabetes patients are frequently thirsty, and they need to drink lots of fluids.
The men may also lose weight since their bodies use muscles to generate energy, not fat. This is due to the fact that their blood sugar level remains high for prolonged periods of time.
Diabetes diet
The development of a healthy diabetes diet is a vital aspect of managing your condition. It can help you control blood sugar levels, reduce your weight and risk factors for heart disease.
It is important to include whole foods in your diet, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Also, dairy products that are low in fat products and legumes are good choices. It should be free of added sugars and saturated fats (unhealthy).
You might also want to limit the amount of drinks that contain sugar you consume. These drinks are typically high in sugar and can cause blood sugar levels to rise.
Diabetes medications
Your doctor may prescribe diabetes medications to keep your blood sugar (glucose) levels within an acceptable range. These medications are typically combined with changes in lifestyle, like diet and physical activity, to help manage the condition.
If your blood sugar levels aren’t being well managed on one medication, a second medicine might be added. Your doctor will work with you to pick the best medicine for your specific needs and preferences.
Newer medications, like sodium-glucose-cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon like antagonists of the peptide-1 receptors, lower blood sugar and have benefits for the kidneys and cardiovascular system, while reducing the risk of developing complications. They can also be beneficial for weight loss and are available in tablet and injectable forms.