What Is Diabetes?

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Diabetes is a little-understood disease, but it is important that we know and understand what it is and how to identify possible symptoms. Diabetes refers to a condition where there is more sugar in the blood than the body can use. Diabetes mellitus, the medical name for the condition, is partially a lifestyle disease. This means that the way we live can lead to the onset of diabetes. However, some people are genetically predisposed to getting diabetes.

Diabetes refers to a disease in which the body is unable to process sugar (glucose). It is important to recognize the symptoms of diabetes early so that you can get the necessary treatment. Diabetes occurs when the body cannot adequately use the sugars we ingest from the foods we eat. While the disease is partially a result of our lifestyle, it is also based on your genetic background.

Many people know that sugar and diabetes go hand in hand, but that’s about the extent of most people’s knowledge of the disease. With a healthy person, the body needs glucose in order to function properly, but sometimes it is unable to process the amount of sugar it receives from our diets. When the body is unable to process sugar efficiently, the person develops diabetes. Recognizing the symptoms of the disease at its earliest onset will help in effecting the necessary treatment.

Statistics just released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the prevalence of diabetes in the US population is expected to increase by at lease twelve percent by 2050. This figure becomes daunting when you realize that this represents an estimated 48 million people. However, you do not need to be a part of this statistic if you start eating right and exercising.

There are three types of diabetes mellitus:

Type 1 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes
Gestational diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is the type of diabetes where the body is unable to produce any of the insulin it needs to function. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease; that is, the body is turning on itself. With Type 1 diabetes, it does this by destroying the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Once these cells are destroyed, the body can no longer produce insulin. Persons with Type 1 diabetes have to take insulin daily for the rest of their lives. Type 1 diabetes used to be known as juvenile diabetes because it is found most frequently in children and young adults.

Type 2 diabetes

This was formerly referred to as adult-onset diabetes, but even children can have type 2 diabetes. With this type of diabetes, the body produces some insulin, but not as much as it needs to regulate sugar levels.

Gestational diabetes

This type of diabetes only affects pregnant women, hence, the name. It normally occurs late in a pregnancy and results from the hormonal changes taking place.

Risk factors for diabetes

One of the risk factors for type 2 diabetes is being overweight. Overweight people can delay the onset of the disease or even prevent it by losing weight. For women, having gestational diabetes is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. People over the age of forty-five should be tested for diabetes annually.

Although genetics plays a role in determining who will develop diabetes, there are other factors that may indicate that you are at risk. These risk factors include being overweight, an inactive lifestyle, and your age. Hormonal fluctuations in pregnancy also increase your risk of developing diabetes later on.

There are a number of indicators of who may develop diabetes during their life. Some of these indicators include being obese, your race, your gender, and your age. Your physical fitness also plays a part, as how active you are will help determine your weight. People who exercise are less likely to develop diabetes than those who are sedentary.

Symptoms of diabetes

The main signs of diabetes include, but are not limited to, the following:

Increased thirst and hunger
Increasing need to urinate and increased quantity of urine produced
Blurry vision
Minor cuts and scratches take longer to heal than usual
Losing weight without any apparent reason
Being constantly tired

Treatment of diabetes

Typical treatment for diabetes includes:

medication (primarily insulin)
controlling and lowering your blood pressure
lowering your cholesterol levels (especially LDL)
exercising
losing weight

Getting a diagnosis of diabetes can be difficult, but remember that with current medical advances, the outlook is better than ever. Diabetes, while serious, is controllable with proper diet, exercise, and following your doctor’s orders. Taking steps to change the factors you can control that lead to developing diabetes is the first step to a healthier you.

No one wants to hear that they have diabetes, but many of us will. The first thing to remember is that diabetes is not a death sentence; it can be treated and controlled. By changing some lifestyle habits, you can lead a healthy life - even with diabetes. Eating properly, exercising, and taking your insulin is necessary to keeping you healthy.

Changing lifestyle habits can be hard, but it is necessary if you get a diagnosis of diabetes. Being told that you have diabetes does not mean that your life is over, so take heart. What it means is that you must now pay attention to what you eat and increase your level of physical activity.