What I know about Diabetes

The most common form of diabetes is type 2, and according to the medical profession the best way to prevent getting the condition is to lose your excess fat. To keep your body functioning, glucose must always be present in your blood. The brain can only function and work properly for a short while without glucose before it stops working. On some days you might eat lots of food and on other days you might eat nothing or very little. But your glucose levels will usually fluctuate or change very slightly. This can happen due to our body’s system of checks and balances that regulate just how much glucose is entering into the blood and how much is going out. Therefore, Diabetes is when this balance fails and your glucose levels rise. As sugars are digested and absorbed from your diet this triggers the release of hormones such as the most important insulin, which is created and released by the beta cells of the pancreas. Insulin coordinates the body’s reaction to increasing blood glucose levels, informing the liver cells, muscles and fat to remove glucose from the blood and store it for future use. It also informs the liver to stop creating and releasing extra glucose, which is not needed by just having a meal/bite to eat. Diabetes occurs when there is not enough insulin /insulin function to keep glucose levels under correct control. Various factors contribute to the decline and loss of insulin function. In some of us, their immune system can for some reason destroy their insulin producing beta-cells of the pancreas. When this happens it is called Type 1 diabetes. Based on my reading and it may not be exact, Type 1 diabetes accounts for approx. 10% of diabetes sufferers. It occurs at any age, not just in children or teenagers. However, as my Dad knows regular insulin injections are always needed to treat it. Presently, there’s NO way to restore the body’s ability to manufacture its own insulin, and so a cure for Type 1 diabetes may be some way off. Type 2 diabetes The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes. And by 2030 it is projected that 1 in 10 adults globally will have type 2 diabetes. The cause of Type 2 diabetes is when any excess calories we eat that are in excess and are not burnt by our metabolism or physical activities such as exercise, are then stored as fat. Most people develop type 2 diabetes because they cannot remove or lose all the excess energy from their diet as healthy fat, and so as we hear and read our waist starts to increase in size. This extra weight and fat then damages the beta-cells and produces resistance to insulin’s actions. Whilst many brits are overweight, only some actually develop Type 2 diabetes. Some people are better than others in storing fat or remain capable of creating enough insulin. However, others can’t sustain this extra workload and eventually there is not enough insulin function to keep their glucose levels under control. Unfortunately, some people develop Type 2 diabetes without even being overweight. Therefore, the best way to prevent Type 2 diabetes occurring is to lose your excess fat/weight. For example, changes in the amount and types of sugar and fibre you eat in your diet can reduce the strain on your pancreas. So reducing your waistline through dieting and increased physical activity/exercise will help burn fat and reduce its limiting effects on your metabolism. The loss of insulin’s functions can have a number of effects on your health and how you feel. The most common symptoms of Type 2 diabetes are: fatigue, poor vision, irritability, reduced libido and passing urine more often – however these can all be dismissed as signs of simply getting older or other health problems. However, even without these symptoms diabetes can be tested and diagnosed by a blood test. Diabetes can sometimes result in serious damage to your blood vessels, heart, nerves, eyes, bladder and kidneys. So this can make diabetes a significant cause of disability, chronic illness and death. Good management of Type 2 diabetes can help reduce the risk of any complications. This involves having a good diet, physical activity/exercise and medications to maintain good glucose levels, optimal blood pressure and weight. Close monitoring for any of the above signs of complications enables early detection and treatment of the condition. In early stages, Type 2 diabetes can be reversed. For example, I read that a Gastric bypass will help treat Type 2 diabetes. This procedure requires major surgery that is not suitable for some Type 2 diabetes sufferers. However, shows just how important a healthy waistline is for the prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes. For more information on Diabetes, please click on: http://www.diabetes.org.uk/ For more information on Diabetes, please click on: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/ For more information on Diabetes, please click on: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Diabetes/Pages/Diabetes.aspx