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What is Diabetes ?

Diabetes is a disease that affects the lives of more than eighteen million people in America alone. However, nearly a third of these people aren't aware that they have the disease.

Here's what you need to know: diabetes is a lack of insulin or the body's inability to produce insulin, which turns food into essential energy. As you can imagine, this lack of insulin is dangerous and requires treatment.

 

Diabetes is categorized in two ways, as Type 1 and Type 2. The types have some similarities, but they are different in terms of cause and treatment.
How do we recognise these two different types?

Type 1 diabetes is genetic in nature and results from a failure of the pancreas to create insulin. It often affects children or young adults. In these people, the immune system actually works against the body, killing
off beta cells that produce insulin. This causes glucose to stay in the blood rather than getting turned into the essential fuel our body needs. Treatment is required in order to prevent diabetic coma, which is when the levels of glucose in the blood get dangerously high. Treatment generally consists of regular insulin injections.

By contrast Type 2 diabetes is developed later in life. Most people who have diabetes will have this type. Although .it is still not known what causes Type 2 diabetes, like Type 1 it can also be genetic, and some ethnic groups are more predisposed than others. However other things such as a sedentary lifestyle, being very overweight, and simply getting older, also play a part. Rather than attacking and destroying the beta cells, this type of diabetes makes it difficult for body to take up the insulin that is created. However, the good thing about this type of diabetes is that it can be prevented by a more healthy lifestyle such as a balanced diet, taking regular exercise and controlling body weight.

Exercise is key because it lowers the level of glucose in the blood and increases the body's ability to take up naturally produced glucose. Exercise is also good for keeping stress levels low and helping with cholesterol and
circulation problems. It is such a good treatment, in fact, that sometimes diet and exercise can negate the necessity of medication in Type 2 diabetes patients.

While fruits, vegetables and whole grains are generally considered healthy and can be of benefit to those with diabetes, you should keep in mind that certain foods can have unhealthily high glucose levels (such as oranges). Take a look at the glycemic index, or GI index, or more about this.

Added fiber, recommended for most diets, is helpful to those with diabetes in that fiber keeps glucose levels down. And while certain oils are essential, saturated fats (such as that in red meat) should be avoided as they can raise cholesterol levels. Rather, choose olive oil and fish oils, which are far healthier. They also help stave off the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is increased for those with diabetes.

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