Diabetes is a chronic state of absolute or relative insulin deficiency leading to hyperglycemia. It can lead to changes in organs such as neuropathy, retinopathy, various infections etc. It is the most common metabolic disorder caused by stress, obesity, poor diet, but genetic predispositions as well.

 

 

Types of diabetes and treatment

There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 destroys insulin-secreting beta cells of the pancreas. It is an autoimmune process that has not been entirely explained. The young are more often affected. Around 10% of diabetics suffer from this type of diabetes that manifests suddenly. Insulin needs to be injected. Type 2 diabetes develops in cases of pancreas not secreting enough insulin or when the cell receptors become insensitive to insulin. It is the most common type of diabetes, triggered by combination of genetic predispositions and the surrounding factors. It can be regulated with various medicaments and diets, sometimes with insulin injections. The illness is asymptomatic until the the onset of chronic health issues.

 

Diabetes is an incurable chronic disease. It can be treated with insulin (Type 1), pills, regular diet, physical exercise, self-control and learning about the disease. Positive attitude, motivation and sharing the experience with others can also make a difference. These principles are important because of often unnecessarily high usage of pills and too high doses of insulin. Abundant levels of insulin are used in order to achieve normoglycemia, but the downside is that the patient is gaining weight because of the constant need for food. Pills and insulin are the final line of defense against diabetes for the patients who do not treat the illness using the basic methods.

 

 

Effect of food on glucose levels

Sugar enters the organism via unprocessed (pasta – it degrades slowly and maintains the glucose levels) and concentrated carbohydrates (cakes and sweets – absorbed quickly, the glucose level varies). The body automatically secretes glycogen and stores it in the liver in the case of hypoglycemia.

Hypoglycemia (or the low level of the blood glucose) occurs as a result of too much insulin, alcohol, physical exercise or a skipped meal. It can be prevented by eating regularly, correct doses of medicaments or insulin and more frequent checks of the glucose levels (in order to achieve a better control level).

 

 

Diabetes can be controlled

Find out more about diabetes – what causes it, how it is treated and about the role of sugar in organism and types of diabetes

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