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 when it isn’t able to use the insulin it does produce effectively.
Exercise, diet and medications can help to prevent or delay the disease. It’s important to be aware of symptoms to be able to tell the signs of a problem and get treatment.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is an ongoing (long-lasting) health condition that affects the way your body transforms food into energy. It occurs when your pancreas stops making enough insulin or isn’t able to use it as effectively as it should.
Insulin is a hormone that helps your cells absorb and use sugar, which is known as glucose. Type 2 diabetics do not produce enough insulin or their bodies are unable to use it properly.
The blood sugar levels rise with time in both forms of diabetes. This can lead to problems with your feet, eyes and kidneys. It can also damage the blood vessels in your heart as well as the brain.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, meaning that your body’s immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This destruction can happen over months or even years before eventually resulting in a total lack of insulin.
People with type 1 diabetes require insulin every day. They must also keep an eye on their blood sugar levels and adjust their insulin, food, and activity levels to keep their blood sugar in a healthy range.
Type 2 diabetes
If you suffer from type 2 diabetes, your body is not functioning as insulin should. Insulin is a hormonal substance that aids your cells in moving glucose (blood sugar) from your blood into your cells, which can then be used as energy.
People with type 2 diabetes have to manage their condition by consuming a balanced diet and exercise. They may also need to take medications to control their blood glucose levels.
Women with diabetes are more likely to experience symptoms
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects people from all races, ethnicities, and genders. Women are at higher risk than men.
Women with diabetes have a greater likelihood of developing complications than men, such as heart disease (the most frequent complication of diabetes) and vision loss.
One of the first signs of women with diabetes is increased thirst and the frequency of urination, which is known as polydipsia. This is due to diabetes causing excessive sugar to accumulate in the bloodstream and your kidneys don’t have the capacity to eliminate it effectively.
The signs of diabetes in men
Diabetes is a disease in which cells are unable use glucose (blood sugar) for energy. This usually happens because the pancreas is producing too little insulin.
This can result in high blood glucose levels. The body tries to lower these levels by flushing the excess glucose from your bloodstream through urine.
Diabetes patients are frequently thirsty, and need to drink a lot of fluids.
Men can also lose weight because their bodies utilize muscles for energy instead of fat. This is due to the fact that their blood sugar levels stay high for prolonged periods of time.
Diabetes diet
A balanced diet for diabetes can be an essential part of managing the condition. It can help you control blood sugar levels control weight and reduce the risk factors that can lead to heart disease.
You should include whole food items in your diet, including fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Also, dairy products that are low in fat products and legumes are a good choice. It should be free of saturated (unhealthy) fats and added sugars.
You might consider limiting your consumption of beverages sweetened with sugar. These drinks are typically packed with sugar which can cause blood sugar levels in the body to increase.
Diabetes medications
Your doctor might prescribe diabetes-related medications to keep your blood sugar (glucose) levels within the normal range. These medications are typically paired with lifestyle changes like diet and exercise to help control your diabetes.
If your blood sugar levels aren’t managed on one medication, a second medicine might be added. Your doctor will assist you determine the most appropriate medicine to suit your preferences and needs.
Newer medications, such as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor antagonists, lower blood sugar and offer benefits for the kidneys and cardiovascular system, while decreasing the risk of developing complications. They also aid in weight loss and are available in injectable and tablet forms.