Diabetes – What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious illness that affects millions of people each year. It is caused when your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or it isn’t able to use the insulin it does have effectively.
Exercise, diet and medication can all help in preventing or delaying the disease. It is also essential to know the symptoms, to determine whether you have a problem and seek treatment.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) health condition that affects how your body converts food into energy. It occurs when your pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin or isn’t able to use it properly.
Insulin is the hormone that helps your body to absorb and utilize glucose, also known as sugar. Type 2 diabetics aren’t producing enough insulin or are unable to use it in a proper way.
The blood sugar levels increase over time in both types of diabetes. This can cause issues with your eyes, kidneys and feet. It can also damage your brain and heart arteries.
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, eventually leading to a total lack of insulin.
Type 1 diabetics need to take insulin every 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 use insulin the way it should. Insulin is a hormone that aids your cells in moving glucose (blood sugar) from your blood into your cells where it can be utilized to generate energy.
Type 2 diabetics should exercise and adhere to a healthy diet. They may also have to take medications to control their blood glucose levels.
Diabetes in women symptoms
Diabetes is a chronic illness that affects all races and ethnic groups age, genders, and ages. However, women are at a greater risk than men.
Women with diabetes are more prone to experience complications, such as heart disease (the most frequent diabetes-related complication), and vision loss.
One of the first signs of women with diabetes is increased thirst and urinary frequency, also known as polydipsia. This is because diabetes can create excess sugar in your blood and kidneys are unable to filter it out.
The signs of diabetes in men
In the case of diabetes it is when cells are unable use 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 tries to reduce these levels by flushing excess glucose from your bloodstream via urine.
Patients with diabetes typically experience thirst and require to drink large amounts of fluids. This can be up to four liters daily.
Men can also lose weight as their bodies rely on muscles for energy instead of fat. This is because their blood sugar levels stay high for long periods.
Diabetes diet
A healthy diet with a low-carbohydrate diet can be an essential part of managing the condition. It can help you manage your blood sugar levels, manage your weight and reduce the risk of heart disease by reducing risk factors.
Your diet should consist of a wide range of whole foods like fruits, whole grains, vegetables, beans and low-fat dairy. It should be low in added sugars and saturated fats (unhealthy).
You may want to limit your intake of beverages sweetened with sugar. These drinks are usually high in sugar and can cause blood sugar levels in the body to increase.
Diabetes medications
Your doctor might recommend diabetic medications to help keep your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels within a normal range. These medications are typically paired with lifestyle changes like exercising and diet to help control your diabetes.
If your blood sugar levels aren’t managed by one medication, a second medicine might be added. 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 cotransporter-2 inhibitors reduce blood sugar levels, provide kidney and cardiovascular benefits and lower the risk of complications. They’re also helpful for weight loss and are available in tablet and injectable forms.