Over 29 million Americans suffer from diabetes, with the numbers getting even grimmer when you get a worldwide view. Before the condition shows, a patient will be prediabetic, where their blood sugar level will be much higher than normal. If the condition is unchecked, it willmove on to Type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, 90% of people with prediabetes so not know it.
Type 1 and 2 Diabetes
The food you eat is broken down by the body into special sugars called glucose that are used in body cells as fuel. For the cells to take up glucose, they will need insulin, a special hormone in the bloodstream that enables the uptake of glucose. In a diabetic, the body is either unable use the insulin produced or it does not produce enough of it. The build-up of sugar then causes damage in organs.
Type 1 Diabetes, which is at times a genetic predisposition as it is prevalent from childhood, makes it impossible for the pancreas to produce insulin. The immune system sees the insulin-producing cells presentin the pancreas as foreign, therefore fighting and destroying them.This type of diabetes leads to the increased risk of a heart attack and stroke and can be treated through the administration of insulin.
Type 2 Diabetes, also called adult onset diabetes,develops later in life and is preventable through lifestyle manipulations. In this very common type of diabetes – with over 95% of all diabetes patients – the pancreas either produces some insulin but it is not enough or the body cells develop resistance to the insulin. There is no cure for it as is the case for diabetes type 1 but it can be manipulated with nutrition and exercise.
- You don’thave to be Overweight to be Diabetic
Weight is certainly a cause for alarm and so naturallymost people think that they are safe from diabetes as long as they are not overweight. The reality is that some people look healthy on the outside but they are internally quite unhealthy – hence the term skinny-fat.
Some of the symptoms most noticeable in diabetics are frequent urination, extreme fatigue even though you have done nothing physically exerting, blurry vision, feeling thirsty, and numbness in hands and legs, to name but a few.
- How serious is the Condition?
Well, diabetes is not given the attention it deserves, even though it is the leading killer all over the world – even higher than road accidents that require an injury claim lawyer. Early diagnosis and treatment are important in dealing with likely escalations common in diabetics, such as amputations, kidney failure, and blindness in some cases. Type 2 diabetes can be checked by reducing alcohol consumption, being physically active, as well as increasing the intake of healthy fats present in avocado, coconut milk, and olive oil.
Pass on the Information
It would not hurt to pass on the information you have gathered along the way for others to use. Documenting it the same way some do with a travel blog is not only therapeutic but also empowering. Information is power and even though no two people’sexperiences are the same, someone could draw strength from reading your account.
