What is Diabetes ?

By Adrian Fletcher in Diabetes on March 8th, 2008

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by Adrian Fletcher

The spread of diabetes has caused consternation in many governments and health organizations. It is thought to be one of the fastest growing diseases in the world at present. But what is diabetes ? This article will answer that question and list the different types of diabetes and common ways to treat the disease.

Someone with diabetes will have a high blood sugar reading after they have eaten some food. Their body is unable to process the sugar in the bloodstream. Sugar is vital for the body as it is the primary source of energy for the body’s cells. Without sugar the cells will starve and die.

One belief that has no scientific proof is that eating too much sugar will give you diabetes. This is not really true, however eating lots of sugary foods without sufficient exercise could lead to weight gain.

If this continued for too long the person could become obese or be long term over weight. And there seems to be a definite link between type 2 diabetes and weight. A person that is over weight is at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than a person who is a normal weight for their size and sex.

Another commonly held belief is that many people that have the disease are not aware of it. This is true for many people because diabetes has no symptoms that are unique to it. So a person may think they are stressed out because they are tired or their vision gets blurred at times when, in fact, they have diabetes.

Some of the common symptoms are :

Excessive thirst (polydipsia).

Frequent urination (polyuria).

Having a large appetite without any appreciable weight gain (usually weight loss).

Extreme tiredness.

Nausea and a general feeling of being ill.

Yeast infections in both sexes.

Blurred vision.

Male impotence.

One or more of these symptoms should convince you to visit your health care provider.

Your body may no longer make the hormone insulin that allows sugar to be converted to energy. This is known as type 1 diabetes.

Or, your body continues to produce insulin but the cells become resistant to this insulin. This is called type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can also occur during pregnancy and then will stop after the birth. This is called gestational diabetes.

As yet there is no cure for all the types of diabetes. There is only ongoing treatment. Treatment is quite straightforward once the person has gotten used to the changes that are required in their lifestyle.

Treatment is a two pronged approach. If focuses on eating the right foods and getting regular exercise. You can set up your own diabetic diet by following the diabetic food pyramid but it is probably best to get initial ideas on the right food to eat from your doctor or a dietitian. Exercise helps to use up energy and reduce blood sugar levels. People with type 1 diabetes will also have to inject insulin normally before a meal and sometimes when they have a high blood sugar level. People with type 2 diabetes may have to take medication so that their body responds to the insulin already being produced. after the initial change in lifestyle, this treatment is easy to implement and there will be no significant impact on your life due to diabetes.

About the Author:

Learn more about diabetes diet plans at www.diabeticdietsplan.com. The site deals with diets and eating healthy diabetic food and some common symptoms of diabetes.