Free Information on Diabetes

Diabetes is a common disease in America. It is hereditary, but can also be contracted by the lack of essential practices such as proper nutrition and exercize. It directly affects the levels of blood sugar in the body. Because blood sugar is necessary for even the most involuntary of bodily activities, such as digestion, diabetes presents a major risk to the health and wellness of those it affects.

Causes

• Diabetes is caused by defects in insulin, a hormone that causes cells to take glucose from the blood. It can be caused by an insufficient production of insulin, the production of defective insulin or the inability of cells to properly take insulin from the blood. When insulin cannot effectively transport glucose to cells, the body is unable to use glucose. Instead, it unnecessarily disposes of it through urination. Without glucose, the body cannot obtain the energy it needs to properly maintain its most basic functions, such as growth, maturation and digestion.

Type 1

• Type 1 diabetes is classified as an auto-immune disease in which the body destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Type 1 diabetes occurs in approximately 10 to 15 percent of the known cases of diabetes. It is often triggered by external factors such as viruses and diet. People with type 1 diabetes must usually inject themselves with insulin daily to combat the lack of insulin in the body.

Type 2

• Type 2 diabetes is much more common than type 1 and accounts for approximately 85 to 90 percent of the known cases of diabetes. It is primarily a genetic disease, although factors such as obesity, high blood pressure and inactivity put individuals at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It is characterized by both insulin deficiency and resistance, in which the cells of the body are unable to efficiently use insulin.

Symptoms

• Common symptoms of diabetes include increased hunger or thirst, weight loss, frequent urination, irritability, blurred vision and fatigue. Diabetes is dangerous because a majority of its symptoms can be mistaken as other bodily complications, such as the flu. If you have any or all of these symptoms for extended lengths of time, consult a medical professional immediately.

Treatment

• Type 1 diabetes requires you to use insulin injections. This is done to replace the absence of insulin brought on by the inefficiency of the pancreas cells. Type 2 diabetes will sometimes require insulin injections, but is controllable mainly through more conventional methods. These methods include maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet, plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, exercising daily and monitoring the body's blood sugar levels.