Diabetes information for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
Diabetes is a disease affecting the manner in which the body handles digested carbohydrates. When neglected, diabetes can cause very severe health complications, so information on diabetes can help you avoid health complications, including blindness and even kidney failure.
Insulin and blood sugar levels are the key to diabetes
Our blood sugar level is regulated by insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas (a large gland situated behind the stomach) in response to carbohydrate consumption. Insulin causes the cells of the body to absorb glucose from the blood. It is glucose that serves as fuel for our body's cellular functions. Diabetes forms when your body reduces or stops producing insulin or the body's cells don't respond properly to the insulin produced by the pancreas. Diabetics, therefore, have little or no insulin and a high level of blood glucose.
Past diabetes diagnostic standards have been fasting plasma glucose levels greater than 140 mg/dL on two occasions, and plasma glucose greater than 200 mg/dL following a 75-gram glucose load. But the American Diabetes Association has now lowered the criteria for diagnosing diabetes to fasting plasma glucose levels equal to or higher than 126 mg/dL. They recommend those with fasting plasma levels outside the normal limit be tested further, usually by repeating the fasting plasma glucose check and suggest an oral glucose tolerance test is problems are indicated.
In most cases, with proper treatment and preventive measures, diabetes patients can lead a relatively normal life. But if proper treatment and medication is not administered, the complications can be seriously disabling or fatal.
Diabetes is on the increase
Type 2 diabetes is reaching alarming levels worldwide. In the United States, around 8% of the population has diabetes and the American Diabetes Association estimates that around 178,000 die annually from the disease, 54,000 become amputees, and 12,000-24,000 people suffer blindness. By the year 2010, if current trends continue, diabetes complications will exceed cancer and heart disease as the leading cause of medical problems in the US.
Understanding type 2 diabetes will help you avoid this debilitating condition. And if you already have diabetes, or its symptoms, a better knowledge will assist in its long-term management. In the U.S. alone, more than 16 million people are suffering from type 2 diabetes. Diabetes used to be confined to older people, but in recent years it has affected people of all ages. One of the leading causes is obesity, since impaired glucose tolerance is related to a high fat content in your blood. Also, if you are unlucky enough to have diabetes in your family, you can be genetically predisposed to the condition. The main symptoms of diabetes include weakness and fatigue, rapid weight loss, frequent thirst and urination, feeling of hunger, frequent infections, blurred vision, and numbness in your limbs. Treatment involves watching your diet, especially your sugar levels, and regular exercise.
Read through the pages of this website for diabetes information, and to find out if you have diabetes symptoms. If you have any concerns, visit your doctor who can suggest the best course of action. In any case, remember that a good diet and regular exercise is the best prevention for Type 2 diabetes.
