Diabetes is a growing problem in this country. With our population at an all time high in weight gain and a low in health care, the problem is only growing. Diabetes is a disease of the metabolism. Our metabolism is the way our bodies use digested food for energy and growth. Most food that is processed through our bodies is broken down by digestive juices into a sugar called glucose. Glucose is the fuel our bodies run on.
When we eat, and our food is processed, the pancreas is supposed to produce the right amount of glucose from our blood automatically and release the right amount of insulin into our blood. In people with diabetes, little to no insulin is produced or the body’s cells don’t respond correctly to the insulin that is produced. Therefore the glucose builds up and overflows into the urine and passes out of the body. This is how the body loses its main source of fuel even though the bloodstream contains good amounts of the natural glucose.
There are three types of diabetes, type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. People who have type 1 are known as insulin-dependent. This is an autoimmune disease where the body’s natural system is fighting against another part of the body.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes accounts for five to ten percent of diabetes cases in the United States.
In the case of type 1 diabetes, the system attacks the insulin producing cells and destroys them.
Therefore the pancreas can produce little to no insulin. These people are in need of daily injections of insulin to live. A person who is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes must receive insulin shots daily in order to live. Scientists are not exactly sure why the body attacks the immune system and the production of insulin, but it is believed that both genetics and viruses are involved.
Type 1 diabetes is most commonly found in children and young adults, but can appear at any age and symptoms can develop over a short period of time. Symptoms include increased thirst and urination, extreme fatigue, weight loss and constant hunger. If a person with type 1 diabetes is not diagnosed and treated with insulin, there is a risk of that person slipping into a diabetic coma that may prove life threatening.
The key when first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes is to arm yourself with information. Being diagnosed is not the end of the world. In fact, most people go on to live normal, healthy lives as long as they stay aware of their condition and continue to treat it.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form found in the US. Ninety to ninety-five percent of people diagnosed with diabetes have this type. Usually developed later in life, it is most commonly diagnosed in people over the age of fifty-five, but in many cases as young as forty or even younger. This is because eighty percent of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are overweight. With obesity at an all time high, the diagnoses for type 2 diabetes is also at an all time high.
In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas is still producing insulin, but for some unknown reason, the body is not able to utilize it effectively. As a result, just as in type 1 diabetes, type 2 people develop a dangerous buildup of glucose in the blood and the body is not able to utilize it for fuel.
People who have type 2 diabetes may see their symptoms develop over time. They are not usually as noticeable as the type 1 symptoms. Symptoms include fatigue, frequent urination, especially throughout the night hours, unusual thirst, weight loss, frequent infections and slow healing sores.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a disorder in which women that previously did not carry diabetes test positive for high blood glucose levels during their pregnancy. Though not uncommon, it is thought that anywhere between three and ten percent of pregnant women are diagnosed with gestational diabetes sometime during their pregnancy. But just what does this diagnosis mean to the health and welfare of the mother and her unborn child?
Since no specific cause has been identified for gestational diabetes, scientists don’t know how to prevent it. The closest they have come to understanding is that it is believed that hormones produced during pregnancy reduce a woman’s sensitivity to insulin and the result is high blood sugar levels. Every pregnant woman is tested for gestational diabetes during her prenatal care visits because generally there are very few symptoms.
If the mother has gestational diabetes, babies are at a higher risk for complications. These are typically growth abnormalities and low blood sugar. The good thing is that gestational diabetes is completely reversible and women who otherwise have good control over their glucose levels can decrease the risk of these birth problems. In fact, women who can keep their gestational diabetes under complete control are known to give birth to perfectly healthy babies.
We can the battle against Diabetes.