What Is Diabetes?
Approximately 21 million people in the US have diabetes out of which roughly 15 million have been diagnosed. Which begs the question: Why is the condition of these 6 million people is unnoticed? Well, as prevention is better than cure, prevention actually begins with awareness about the disease. You need to know what is diabetes and you would be are able to fight the disease.
Diabetes or diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder in which glucose levels in the blood become much high, that is beyond the normal range. To understand this, one must understand what is glucose and how it is absorbed by us. Glucose is absorbed into the blood through digestion of carbohydrates (starches and sugars) in foods such as bread, yams and plantain, rice, potatoes, and also from the liver which makes glucose. Glucose is the main fuel source for providing energy to the cells.
Normally, the right amount of insulin is produced automatically by the pancreas (in response to the food we eat) to move glucose from the blood to the cells. This automatically regulates the glucose level in blood. The normal blood glucose level (fasting) in the US is less than 100 mg/dl.
Cure Diabetes Type 1, 2 or Gestational With Natural Remedies That Really Work. Click Here To Read More. In people with diabetes, either the pancreas produces little or no insulin or the cells do not respond properly to the insulin produced by the pancreas. As a result, blood glucose levels go up and the glucose is excreted out from the body through urine, without being utilized to provide energy to the cells. The body then feels tired and people become hungry for food again. So, glucose is entirely wasted in the above process. There are three different types of diabetes identified till date. They are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is one in which little or no insulin is produced by the pancreas. This is because the beta cells (that produce insulin) in the pancreas are destroyed by an auto immune disorder. The body's immune defense system attacks the beta cells as it regards them as foreign microorganisms. Persons who have type 1 diabetes are insulin-dependent. They need daily injections of synthetic insulin to make up for natural insulin that their body cannot manufacture. Scientists have not been able to understand the exact mechanism behind most auto immune disorders that afflict people. However, autoimmune, environmental factors (maybe viruses), or genetic factors are thought to play a role in autoimmune disorders. About 5 to 10% of diabetes patients in the US are affected by type 1. Mostly it affects children and young people, although it may strike at any age. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes include extreme tiredness, thirst and frequent urination, blurred vision, continuous hunger, and weight loss. If patients with this disease type are not diagnosed early, they may lapse into a diabetic coma (diabetic ketoacidosis). This state can become life threatening. In type 2 diabetes, sufficient insulin is produced by the pancreas, but the cells are not able to utilize the insulin to convert glucose in blood into energy. Gestational diabetes affects some pregnant women. It is caused by hormonal changes during pregnancy or an insulin shortage. Now that you know what is diabetes you will be able to deal with it much better.
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