The disease of diabetes certainly seems to be getting a lot of attention these days. It is thought to be one of the fastest growing diseases in the world causing concern from organizations such as the World Health Organization. So what is diabetes ? This article will cover what it is and the different types of diabetes. People with diabetes are characterized by having a high level of sugar in their blood with no way to reduce this level. Sugar gets into the bloodstream from the food we eat. It is used to provide energy to the body's cells.
Without this energy the cells starve. 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 situation was not changed then the person could become overweight and eventually classified as obese.
And many people with type 2 diabetes have a weight problem suggesting that they are linked in some way. Thus an obese person is at increased risk of getting type 2 diabetes than someone of their height and sex that was a normal weight. 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 : Constantly thirsty (polydipsia).
Increased need to urinate (polyuria). Having a unusually large appetite without any weight gain (weight loss is more likely). Extreme tiredness. Nausea and a general feeling of being ill. Yeast infections in both sexes.
Problems with vision. Male impotence. One or more of these symptoms should convince you to visit your health care provider. Your body may have stopped producing the hormone insulin, that is secreted to reduce the sugar content in the blood.
This is known as insulin dependent diabetes or 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 diabetes. It will last for life and the best way to deal with it is regular checkups and ongoing treatment.
Treatment is easy after the initial adjustment to a new lifestyle conducive with the disease. Treatment revolves around getting a well balanced diet and plenty of exercise. In the case of type 1 diabetes it also involves injecting insulin. For type 2 diabetics and gestational diabetes, medication may be necessary but not always. Monitoring the condition of the disease and regular check ups with your health care provider are also necessary.
By adhering to the treatment plan set out for you, you can limit the impact that diabetes has on your life on a day to day basis and in the future.
Get more on a diabetic diet plan at www.diabeticdietsplan.com. The site deals with diets and eating healthy diabetic food and some common symptoms of diabetes.
