Facts You Need To Know About Diabetes

Diabetes affects a lot of people nowadays even the younger generation. It is mostly because of what we eat. Foods nowadays are packed with too much sugar and laden with lots of preservatives. This is when diabetes attacks.

Diabetes is a metabolic disease wherein a person has high blood sugar. There are two causes for this: one, the body does not produce enough insulin and two, the cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. Classic symptoms of having high blood sugar are frequent urination or polyuria, increased thirst or polydipsia and increased hunger or polyphagia.

There are 3 types of diabetes that you should know Type I diabetes, Type II diabetes and Gestational diabetes. Type I diabetes is when the body fails to produce insulin and will require the person to have insulin injection. This type of diabetes causes approximately 10% of diabetes mellitus cases in Europe and North America. The people who are mostly affected are those that are healthy and of a healthy weight. Type I diabetes is prevalent in children and is therefore called juvenile diabetes but it can also affect adults. Unfortunately, however, there is no preventive cure for this type of diabetes.

Type II diabetes on the other hand is when the body cells fail to use insulin properly. The body is insulin resistant and is sometimes combined with absolute insulin deficiency. This is the most common type of diabetes. Reduced insulin sensitivity is the predominant abnormality in the early stage of this type of diabetes. It is during this stage that hyperglycemia can be reversed through a variety of measures and medications that can improve insulin sensitivity or reduce the production of glucose by the liver.

Gestational diabetes came from the word gestation which means it happens on pregnant women who never had diabetes but has developed a high blood sugar level during pregnancy. This type of diabetes resembles Type 2 diabetes is some aspects. This diabetes affects 2%-5% of the total pregnancies and can either improve or disappear after delivery. This is very treatable but it entails careful medical supervision during the pregnancy period. However, there is about 20%-50% who develop Type 2 diabetes later on. With this type of diabetes, it is not only the mother who is in danger or who is affected. It can also affect the health of the fetus.

Diabetes is fast becoming the world's most deadly disease. It can affect anyone, most especially those who are not careful about their diet. Although it is not diet alone that contributes to this disease, it is still one of the factors. The biggest factor here is still genes. Most people who have diabetes have parents who have diabetes as well. It is therefore inherited and if not controlled or taken care of, this can be a lifelong problem.

Diabetes should not be feared. We just need to be armed with the right information to combat this disease. Knowledge is the best way to combat any disease.