Diabetes – What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious condition which affects millions of people every year. It is caused when your body doesn’t produce enough insulin, or when it’s unable to utilize the insulin it does produce effectively.
The good news is that it can be treated and avoided or delayed with diet, exercise and medications. It is also essential to be aware of the signs, so you can identify if there is a problem and seek treatment.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic health problem (long-lasting), which affects the way your body converts food into energy. It happens when your pancreas isn’t producing 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. People with type 2 diabetes don’t produce enough insulin or their bodies don’t make it work properly.
The blood sugar levels rise over time in both types of diabetes. This can cause 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 auto-immune disease in which your body’s immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cell in the pancreas. The destruction can happen over months or even for years and eventually lead to a complete lack of insulin.
Insulin is required by people with type 1 diabetes every day. They also need to monitor their blood sugar levels and adjust their insulin, food, and activities to keep their blood sugar in an acceptable range.
Type 2 diabetes
If you suffer from type 2 diabetes the body isn’t making the insulin it needs to. Insulin is a hormone that assists your cells get blood sugar (glucose) out of your blood and into your cells where it can be used to create energy.
Type 2 diabetics need to exercise and adhere to a healthy diet. They may also have to take medication to manage their blood sugar levels.
Women with diabetes are more likely to experience symptoms
It is a chronic illness that affects people of all races, ethnicities and genders. However, women are at a higher risk than males.
Women with diabetes are at a greater risk chance of developing complications than men, such as heart disease (the most common diabetes complication) and vision loss.
One of the early 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 blood, and your kidneys aren’t able to filter it out effectively.
Men with diabetes The signs and symptoms
Diabetes is a condition in which cells are not able to use glucose (blood sugar) as energy source. This is typically due to the fact that the pancreas produces too little insulin.
This can lead to high blood glucose levels. The body then attempts to lower these levels by flushing out the excess glucose in your bloodstream via urine.
Diabetes patients are frequently thirsty and require to drink lots of fluids.
Men also may lose weight since their bodies utilize muscles to generate energy, not fat. This is due to the fact that their blood sugar levels remain high for long periods of time.
Diabetes diet
Developing a healthy diabetes diet is a vital aspect of managing your condition. It can help you control blood sugar, reduce your weight and the risk of heart disease by reducing risk factors.
Your diet should consist of a wide range of whole food items, including fruits, whole grains, vegetables, beans and low-fat dairy. It should be free of added sugars and saturated fats (unhealthy).
You may consider limiting your consumption of drinks sweetened with sugar. These drinks often have a lot of sugar and can cause high blood sugar levels.
Diabetes medication
Your doctor might recommend diabetes medications to help keep your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels in normal levels. These drugs are often paired with changes to your lifestyle, such as physical activity and diet, to manage diabetes.
If your blood sugar levels aren’t managed on one medication, a second medicine might be added. Your doctor will work with you to pick the most appropriate medicine for your needs and preferences.
The latest medications, including sodium-glucose-cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon like antagonists for the peptide-1 receptor, decrease blood sugar and offer benefits for the kidneys and cardiovascular system, as well as decreasing the risk of complications. They can also be beneficial for weight loss, and they are available in tablet and injection forms.