Diabetes – What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious illness that affects millions of people every year. It is caused when your body isn’t producing enough insulin, or it isn’t able to use the insulin it does have effectively.
Exercise, diet and medications can help prevent or delay the disease. It is also important to know the symptoms, so you can tell if there is a problem and seek treatment.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic health problem (long-lasting), which impacts the way your body converts food into energy. It occurs when your pancreas isn’t producing enough insulin, or fails to use it as effectively as it should.
Insulin is the hormone that aids your body absorb and use glucose, also known as sugar. Type 2 diabetics do not produce enough insulin or their bodies aren’t able to utilize it effectively.
The blood sugar levels rise over time in both kinds of diabetes. This can cause problems with the eyes, feet, and kidneys. It can also cause damage to the heart and brain arteries as well as your brain.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and means that your body’s immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells inside the pancreas. This destruction can happen over months or even years and eventually lead to an inability to produce insulin.
Insulin is required by people who suffer from type 1 diabetes each day. They also have to keep track of their blood sugar levels and adjust their the insulin, food and activity levels to keep their blood sugar within an acceptable range.
Type 2 diabetes
If you suffer from type 2 diabetes your body isn’t making the insulin it needs to. Insulin is a hormone that assists your cells take blood sugar (glucose) out of your blood and into your cells where it can be used as energy.
Type 2 diabetics have to exercise and follow a healthy diet. They may also have to take medications to control their blood sugar levels.
Women with diabetes are more likely to experience symptoms
Diabetes is a chronic illness that affects all races and ethnicities age, genders, and ages. However women are at higher risk than men.
Women with diabetes are more likely to develop complications, like heart disease (the most common complication associated with diabetes) and loss of vision.
Polydipsia is a warning sign for diabetes in women. This is because diabetes can cause excess sugar to accumulate in your blood and your kidneys are not able to remove it.
Men with diabetes: Symptoms
Diabetes is a condition where cells are not able to use glucose (blood sugar) to generate energy. This is usually because the pancreas ceases to produce enough insulin.
This leads to high blood sugar levels. Your body then tries to reduce these levels by flushing the excess glucose out of your bloodstream via urine.
Diabetes patients are frequently thirsty, and they have to drink plenty of fluids.
The men may also lose weight since their bodies rely on muscle for energy rather than fat. This is because their blood sugar levels remain high for long periods.
Diabetes diet
A healthy diet for diabetes is a crucial aspect of managing your condition. It can help manage blood sugar levels, manage weight and reduce the risk factors for heart diseases.
Your diet should consist of plenty of whole foods, such as fruits whole grains, vegetables as well as beans and dairy that is low in fat. It should be free of saturated (unhealthy) fat and added sugars.
You may want to limit your intake of drinks that are sweetened with sugar. These drinks often have lots of sugar, which can lead to high blood sugar levels.
Diabetes medication
Your doctor may prescribe diabetes-related medications to keep your blood sugar (glucose) levels within a normal range. These medicines are usually combined with lifestyle changes such as eating habits and exercise to help control your diabetes.
If your blood sugar is not being managed well with one medication, you may need to take a different medication. Your doctor will work with you to choose the best medication for your specific needs and preferences.
Newer medicines, such as sodium-glucose -cotransporter-2 inhibitors, and glucagon peptide-1 receptor antagonists, lower blood sugar levels and are beneficial for the kidneys and cardiovascular system, while decreasing the risk of complications. They are also useful for weight loss, and come in both tablet and injection forms.