Diabetes – What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious illness that affects millions of people every year. It is caused when the body fails to make enough insulin or use the insulin that it does have effectively.
The good news is that it is treatable and avoided or delayed with diet, exercise and medication. It is important to understand the symptoms so you can 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 happens when your pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, or fails to use it as well as it should.
Insulin is a hormone that assists 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 effectively.
The blood sugar levels rise over time in both types of diabetes. This can cause problems with the kidneys, eyes and feet. It may also damage your brain and heart arteries.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition and means that your body’s immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cell in the pancreas. This destruction can occur over months or even for years before resulting in the absence of insulin completely.
Insulin is required by those with type 1 diabetes all day. They also have to keep track of their blood sugar levels and adjust their insulin, food and activity levels to keep their blood sugar levels within the healthy range.
Type 2 diabetes
If you suffer from type 2 diabetes your body doesn’t make insulin as it should. Insulin is a hormone that assists your cells to remove blood sugar (glucose) out of your blood and into your cells so that it can be used as energy.
People suffering from type 2 diabetes need to treat their condition with a healthy diet and regular exercise. They may also need to take medications to control their blood sugar levels.
The signs of diabetes in women
It is a chronic illness that affects people from all races, ethnicities, and genders. However women are at greater risk than men.
Women with diabetes have a greater likelihood of developing complications than men, including heart disease (the most commonly reported diabetes complication) and vision loss.
Polydipsia is a sign of warning for women suffering from diabetes. This is because diabetes causes excessive sugar to accumulate in the bloodstream and your kidneys aren’t equipped to get rid of it effectively.
Diabetes in men: Symptoms
In diabetes the cells are unable to make use of blood sugar (glucose) for energy. This usually happens because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin.
This leads to high blood sugar levels. The body then attempts to lower the level by flushing the excess glucose from your bloodstream via urine.
People with diabetes are typically thirsty and require to drink lots of fluids.
The men may also lose weight because their bodies use muscles to generate energy, not fat. This is due to the fact that their blood sugar levels remain high for prolonged periods of time.
Diabetes diet
Making a balanced diabetes diet is an important part of managing your condition. It can help manage blood sugar levels, manage weight and reduce risk factors for heart disease.
Your diet should include plenty of whole foods, including fruits vegetables, whole grains as well as beans and dairy that is low in fat. It should be free of saturated fats and sugars as well as added sugars (unhealthy).
You might be advised to limit your consumption of drinks that are sweetened with sugar. These drinks are often packed with sugar, which can cause blood sugar levels to rise.
Diabetes medication
Your doctor may prescribe diabetes medications to keep your blood sugar (glucose) levels within an acceptable range. These drugs are often paired with changes in lifestyle, like eating habits and physical activity to manage the condition.
If your blood sugar levels are not well controlled with one medication, you may require a second medication. Your doctor will help you choose the best medicine to meet your needs and preferences.
Newer medications like glucagon-like receptor agonists, peptide-1, and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors reduce blood sugar, have kidney and cardiovascular benefits and lower the risk of complications. They also help with weight loss and come in both tablet and injection forms.