What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is produced by an organ in our body called the pancreas. After you eat your dinner or drink a bottle of coke, the stomach absorbs some of the sugars in the food and this sugar enters the blood stream. If the sugar is too high, the pancreas secretes insulin, which in turn makes the liver and your muscles absorb the sugar faster. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas has problems secreting insulin.
Why is Sugar Important?
Sugar is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Sugar can be found in some of the foods we eat, mainly carbohydrates. The sugar in the blood is known as glucose.
Types Of diabetes
There two major types of diabetes.
Type I Diabetes (Insulin Dependant Diabetes Mellitus)
Type I diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. In type I diabetes, the pancreas simply stops producing insulin.
Type II diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In type II diabetes, either the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. This type of diabetes usually appears in people over the age of 40, though often appears before the age of 40 in South Asian and African-Caribbean people.
What Causes Diabetes?
Type 1
diabetes
Type 1 diabetes develops when the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas have
been destroyed. Nobody knows for sure why these cells have been damaged but the
most likely cause is an abnormal reaction of the body to the cells. This may be
triggered by a viral or other infection. Both sexes are affected equally.
Type 2
diabetes
The main causes are that the body no longer responds normally to its own
insulin, and/or that the body does not produce enough insulin.
People who are overweight are particularly
likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. It tends to run in families and is more
common in Asian and African-Caribbean communities.
What are the Health Problems Caused By Diabetes?
People with diabetes have a higher chance of developing certain serious health problems, including
Heart disease,
Stroke,
High blood pressure,
Circulation problems,
Nerve damage
Damage to the kidneys
Damage to the eyes.
The risk is particularly high for people with diabetes who are also very overweight, who smoke or who are not physically active.
How Can I Reduce The Risk Of These Complications?
You will greatly reduce your risk of developing any of these complications by controlling your blood glucose and blood pressure levels. This is done by:
Eating healthily
Doing
regular physical activity. See importance of
Exercise.