Diabetes – What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious illness that is affecting millions of people each year. It is caused when your body isn’t producing enough insulin or it isn’t able to use the insulin it does produce effectively.
The good news is that it is curable and avoided or delayed with diet, exercise and medications. It is also essential to be aware of symptoms to be able to tell the signs of a problem and seek treatment.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. It happens when the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or is unable to utilize it in a proper manner.
Insulin is the hormone that aids your body absorb and utilize glucose, also referred to as sugar. Type 2 diabetics do not produce enough insulin or their bodies aren’t able to utilize it in a proper way.
In both types of diabetes, blood sugar levels get too high in time. This can lead to problems with the eyes, kidneys and feet. It can also harm the coronary arteries and brain.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune reaction which means that your immune system attacks the pancreatic insulin-producing cells and destroys them. The destruction can take place over months or even for years before resulting in an absence of insulin.
Insulin is needed by people with type 1 diabetes all 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 within the normal range.
Type 2 diabetes
If you suffer from type 2 diabetes the body isn’t producing insulin as it should. Insulin is a hormone that helps your cells get blood sugar (glucose) out of your blood and into your cells so that it can be used to create energy.
Type 2 diabetics need to exercise and eat a healthy diet. They may also need to take medication to manage their blood sugar levels.
The signs of diabetes in women
Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects all races and ethnic groups, ages, and genders. However women are at higher risk than males.
Women with diabetes have a higher likelihood of developing complications than men, such as heart disease (the most frequent complication of diabetes) and vision loss.
One of the early signs of women with diabetes is increased thirst and urination, called polydipsia. This is due to diabetes causing excess sugar to build up in the bloodstream and the kidneys aren’t able remove it effectively.
The signs of diabetes in men
In diabetes the cells are unable to use blood sugar (glucose) to produce energy. This is typically because the pancreas stops producing enough insulin.
This results in elevated blood sugar levels. The body tries to reduce these levels by flushing the excess glucose from your bloodstream via urine.
Patients with diabetes are usually thirsty, and they have to drink lots of fluids.
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 diabetes. It can help you control blood sugar, reduce your weight and risk factors for heart disease.
You should include whole foods in your diet, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Also, low-fat dairy products, beans, and legumes are a good choice. It should be free of saturated fats and sugars as well as added sugars (unhealthy).
You might want to limit your intake of beverages sweetened with sugar. These drinks often have lots of sugar in them that can cause high blood sugar levels.
Diabetes medication
Your doctor might recommend diabetes medication to keep your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels within normal levels. These medications are usually combined with changes to your lifestyle, such as eating habits and physical activity to manage diabetes.
If your blood sugar levels are not being controlled by one medication, you may need to take a different medication. Your doctor will guide you to determine the most appropriate medicine to meet your needs and preferences.
Newer medications, like sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like antagonists for the peptide-1 receptor, decrease blood sugar and have benefits for the kidneys and cardiovascular system, as well as reducing the risk of complications. They are also beneficial for weight loss and are available in tablet and injectable forms.