Diabetes – What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious disease 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 have effectively.
Diet, exercise and medication can help to prevent or delay the progression of the disease. It’s also important to be aware of symptoms to determine what’s wrong and get treatment.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic illness (long-lasting) that impacts the way your body converts food into energy. It occurs when your pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin or is unable to use it correctly.
Insulin is a hormone that helps your cells absorb and use sugar, which is called glucose. People with type 2 diabetes do not produce enough insulin or their bodies don’t make it work properly.
The blood sugar levels rise over time in both kinds of diabetes. This can lead to problems with the eyes, feet, and kidneys. It could also cause damage to coronary arteries and brain.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, meaning that your body’s immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells inside the pancreas. This destruction can occur over months or even years before resulting in a complete lack of insulin.
People suffering from type 1 diabetes must take insulin each day. They also have to keep track of their blood glucose levels and adjust their food, insulin and activity levels to keep their blood sugar within the healthy range.
Type 2 diabetes
If you suffer from type 2 diabetes, your body does not make use of insulin as it should. Insulin is a hormone that helps your cells move glucose (blood sugar) from your blood into your cells which can then be used as energy.
Type 2 diabetics must exercise and eat a balanced diet. They might also need to take medicine to control their blood sugar levels.
Signs of women having diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects people of all races as well as ethnic groups as well as ages and genders. Women are more susceptible than men.
Women with diabetes are at a greater risk likelihood of developing complications than men, such as heart disease (the most commonly reported diabetes complication) and loss of vision.
One of the early warning signs of diabetes in women is a higher thirst and increased urinary frequency, also known as polydipsia. This is because diabetes causes excessive sugar to accumulate in the bloodstream and your kidneys don’t have the capacity to eliminate it in a proper manner.
Men with diabetes The signs and symptoms
Diabetes is a condition in which cells are unable to utilize glucose (blood sugar) for energy. This usually happens because the pancreas produces insufficient insulin.
This causes high blood sugar levels. Your body will then attempt to lower the levels by flushing the excess glucose from your bloodstream via urine.
People who have diabetes often are thirsty and have to drink large amounts of fluids. It can be as much as four liters a day.
Men may be able to experience weight loss too as their bodies break down muscle to make energy instead of fat. This is due to the fact that their blood sugar level remains high for prolonged periods of time.
Diabetes diet
A healthy diet for diabetes is a crucial aspect of managing your diabetes. It can help you control blood sugar levels, reduce your weight and the risk of heart disease by reducing risk factors.
Your diet should include plenty of whole foods, such as fruits whole grains, vegetables, beans and low-fat dairy. It should be low in saturated fats and sugars as well as added sugars (unhealthy).
You may also want to limit the amount of sugar-sweetened beverages you consume. These drinks usually contain a lot of sugar in them which can result in high blood sugar levels.
Diabetes medication
Your doctor might recommend diabetes medication to keep your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels in normal levels. These medicines are usually combined with lifestyle changes, such as exercising and diet to help you manage your diabetes.
If your blood sugar levels aren’t controlled by one medicine, a second medicine might be added. Your doctor will work with you to select the most appropriate medicine for your needs and preferences.
Newer medications like glucagon-like receptor agonists for peptide-1 as well as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors reduce blood sugar levels, have cardiovascular and kidney benefits, and lower the risk of complications. They can also be beneficial for weight loss and come in both tablet and injection forms.