What is Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes ?

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by: AdrianFletcher
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It seems like diabetes is a word on many people's lips these days. It is one of the fastest growing diseases in the world such that the World Health Organization recently listed it as an epidemic. But what exactly is diabetes ? This article will explain what the disease is and the different types of diabetes.

A person with diabetes has a high level of sugar in their bloodstream. Their body cannot process the sugar or glucose in the blood. Sugar is the energy that keeps the body's cells alive. Without this energy the cells begin to starve.

A common belief that is largely unfounded is that consuming too much sugar will give you diabetes. This is not strictly true. Eating or drinking too much sugar will increase your calorific intake. This could lead to a gain in weight if a person did not exercise enough.

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.

A few of the more 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.

Problems with vision.

Male impotence.

One or more of these symptoms should convince you to visit your health care provider.

Your body may no longer make the hormone insulin that allows sugar to be converted to energy. This is known as type 1 diabetes.

Alternatively, you continue to produce insulin but the body resists the affects of the insulin. This is known as adult onset diabetes or type 2 diabetes. This can also happen when a woman is pregnant. She will have type 2 diabetes during the pregnancy and it will stop after the birth. This is called gestational diabetes.

There is still no cure for diabetes and it lasts for life. The best approach is ongoing treatment and regular monitoring of the disease. Treatment is relatively easy after a little adjustment of current lifestyles.

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.

About the Author

Learn more about a diabetic diet plan at www.diabeticdietsplan.com. The site features diets and eating nutritious diabetes foods and some common symptoms of diabetes.