 |
What Is Diabetes?
Your doctor may have recently advised you have diabetes. Or
you are overweight and you have discovered you may be at risk of
diabetes. Others may have a friend or family member who has been
diagnosed with the disease. Just what does diabetes mean and how
does it affect your lifestyle?
Diabetes means that your blood glucose (often called blood
sugar) is too high. Your blood always has some glucose in it
because your body needs glucose for energy to keep you going. But
too much glucose in the blood isn't good for your health.
How do you get high blood glucose?
Glucose comes from the food you eat and is also made in your
liver and muscles. Your blood carries the glucose to all the
cells in your body. Insulin is a chemical (a hormone) made by the
pancreas. The pancreas releases insulin into the blood. Insulin
helps the glucose from food get into your cells. If your body
doesn't make enough insulin or if the insulin doesn't work the
way it should, glucose can't get into your cells. It stays in
your blood instead. Your blood glucose level then gets too high,
causing pre-diabetes or diabetes.
What is pre-diabetes?
Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are
higher than normal but are not high enough for a diagnosis of
diabetes. People with pre-diabetes are at increased risk for
developing type 2 diabetes and for heart disease and stroke. The
good news is if you have pre-diabetes, you can reduce your risk
of getting diabetes. With modest weight loss and moderate
physical activity, you can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes and
even return to normal glucose levels.
What are the signs of diabetes?
The signs of diabetes are:
· being very thirsty
· urinating often
· feeling very hungry or tired
· losing weight without trying
· having sores that heal slowly
· having dry, itchy skin
· losing the feeling in your feet or having tingling in your
feet
· having blurry eyesight
You may have had one or more of these signs before you found
out you had diabetes. Or you may have had no signs at all. A
blood test to check your glucose levels will show if you have
pre-diabetes or diabetes.
What kind of diabetes do you have?
People can get diabetes at any age. Type 1 diabetes,
formerly called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes,
is usually first diagnosed in children, teenagers, or young
adults. In this form of diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas
no longer make insulin because the body's immune system has
attacked and destroyed them.
Treatment for type 1 diabetes includes taking insulin shots or
using an insulin pump, making wise food choices, being physically
active, taking aspirin daily (for some), and controlling blood
pressure and cholesterol.
Type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes
or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, is the most common form of
diabetes. People can develop type 2 diabetes at any age-even
during childhood. This form of diabetes usually begins with
insulin resistance, a condition in which fat, muscle, and liver
cells do not use insulin properly.
At first, the pancreas keeps up with the added demand by
producing more insulin. In time, however, it loses the ability to
secrete enough insulin in response to meals. Being overweight and
inactive increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes.
Treatment includes using diabetes medicines, making wise food
choices, being physically active, taking aspirin daily, and
controlling blood pressure and cholesterol.
Why do you need to take care of your diabetes? After
many years, diabetes can lead to serious problems in your eyes,
kidneys, nerves, and gums and teeth. But the most serious problem
caused by diabetes is heart disease. When you have diabetes, you
are more than twice as likely as people without diabetes to have
heart disease or a stroke.
If you have diabetes, your risk of a heart attack is the same
as someone who has already had a heart attack. Both women and men
with diabetes are at risk. You may not even have the typical
signs of a heart attack.
You can reduce your risk of developing heart disease by
controlling your blood pressure and blood fat levels. If you
smoke, talk with your doctor about quitting. Remember that every
step toward your goals helps!
Later in this article, we'll tell you how you can try to
prevent or delay long-term problems. The best way to take care of
your health is to work with your health care team to keep your
blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol in your target
range.
How is weight loss important?
If you have diabetes and are overweight, even a moderate
reduction in weight can have a positive benefit to your health
and possibly blood pressure and cholesterol. If you are
overweight or obese and don't have diabetes, you have added risk
of developing the disease.
How can I tell if I am overweight?
There are several methods to determine a healthy body weight.
The simplest is to measure around your waist. Men who are greater
than 94 cm (37 inches) and women who are greater than 80cm (32
inches) are overweight. Another method is the Body Mass Index
which takes into account your height, weight and gender. If your
BMI is greater than 25 you are considered overweight. If it is
greater than 30, you are considered obese.
Kim Beardsmore is a weight loss consultant whose business
operates across 60 countries. This world renowned, medically
approved program will give you results you'll love and all the
support you need! Estimate your healthy body weight, tons of
recipes, articles, free newsletter and more at http://weight-loss-health.com.au
MORE RESOURCES:
|
Medical experts meet in S'pore for diabetes workshopChannel News AsiaSINGAPORE: Leading international experts in type 2 diabetes are in Singapore to address specific challenges and opportunities of bariatric or metabolic surgery for Asian patients and health care systems. The Asia-Pacific Workshop on Metabolic Surgery ...and more » |
|
Diabetes amputations drop, but disease expandsSouthCoastToday.comBy ANIKA CLARK The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published good news recently for the nation's diabetic adults. In 2008, substantially fewer of them 40 and older received lower limb amputations than they had 12 years prior. |
|
Sports-themed windows to benefit diabetes researchMuncie Star PressMUNCIE -- Pat L. Smith, owner of build, LLC, is offering a collection of sports-themed windows and doors to raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Smith's son, Eric, was diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic at the age of 23 while serving ... |
|
Artificial Pancreas' Revolutionizing Diabetes TreatmentToday's Medical DevelopmentsAccording to a new report by iData Research, the leading global authority in medical device market research, the US diabetes diagnosis, treatment and drug delivery device market was valued at almost $12 billion in 2011 and is expected to reach almost ... |
Google News
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Pre-Diabetes - The Calm
Before the Storm
Remember when the medical world identified pre-hypertension
to better monitor your blood pressure? The new buzz:
Pre-Diabetes concerns a similar condition pinpointing
people who are at severe risk for getting diabetes. Because
diabetes silently invades your body, early detection and
corrective action are critically important.
Diabetes - A National
Epidemic
Are you a diabetic? If so, you are definitely not alone.
There are approximately 16 million people in the United
States who have diabetes.
Can We Do More for
Diabetics? New Research Suggests that We Can
Diabetes can briefly be defined as a state when the body's
blood glucose is too high. The body does require a certain
amount of sugar in the blood; however, those suffering from
diabetes have levels much higher than what is needed.
Hyperglycemia, Diabetes,
and Managing Blood Sugar
So, after a miserable 10 hours of blood tests it's
confirmed you have hyperglycemia. Well now isn't the time
to sit back and get depressed.
Benfotiamine - A New
Tool In Preventing Diabetic Complications?
Benfotiamine made headlines globally in 2003 when
researchers released information about a study that was
conducted at The Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
The bottom line of this study was that a substance of the
allithiamine group of the naturally occurring
thiamine-derived compounds had positive effects on
neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy and
heart/circulatory problems in diabetics.
Diabetes and
Fitness
There are two main types of diabetes, type I and type II.
Type I diabetes is characterized by the pancreas making too
little or no insulin.
Diabetic Foot Care Tips:
Cant Afford to Ignore It!
Most of the time, we focus on health or skin care
completely ignoring the importance of our feet. Foot care
is equally important especially for diabetic people to
avoid foot complications.
Diabetes Awareness: Wake
Up Call
When traveling on out-of-town business, its common to have
the hotel front desk give you a wake-up call in the
morning. You want to avoid the embarrassment and
repercussions of being late for your business appointments.
Diabetes, A Bad Omen Or
A Fresh Start?
So you've learned that you've got diabetes. Well after the
initial shock, you're stuck with dealing with the lifestyle
changes that come with your diagnosis.
Diabetes: Diabetics
Fight Back
Many cases of diabetes go unnoticed or unchecked before a
person or their doctor realizes the inevitable. This
disease silently uses destructive high blood sugars to
gradually damage the body for months or even years, before
symptoms are noted.
Avandia Side Effect
Lawyer: Diabetes Drug Damages Liver
Avandia, a compound of rosiglitazone maleate, is an oral
antidiabetic agent. Avandia pills increase insulin
sensitivity for patients with type 2 diabetes, or
non-insulin-dependent diabetes.
Pre-Diabetes Awareness:
Gamblers Understand the Odds
Do you gamble? Play Texas Hold'em poker, casino games, or
lotteries? Then understanding your odds of winning is part
of the challenge.Are you planning on living a long and
healthy life? A life free of aches and pains? A life full
of excitement and adventure? Great, then understanding the
odds of developing diabetes will surely cause you to take
immediate action.
Double Diabetes --
Placing Your Kids at Even More Risk
In some medical circles it's called Type 3 Diabetes.
Teenagers and young adults diagnosed with type 1 diabetes,
if overweight or obese, can develop type 2 diabetes later
in life.
STAT-LET? Auto Safety
Lancets - Makes Diabetes Testing Easy!
Stat Medical Hardware, Inc (SMD) was founded in 1988 and is
a leader in developing and distributing innovative medical
devices. Their emphasis is on lancets, lancing devices and
clinical, capillary blood sampling devices.
Living with Diabetes and
Celiac Disease
Living with multiple health problems can complicate things.
As a diabetic balancing the levels of carbohydrates,
(starches and sugars) with the level of insulin requires
thought and discipline.
Diabetic
Fruits
Fruit gives you energy, vitamins, minerals, and
fiber.Examples of fruits which are recommended to Diabetics
include:? Bananas? Apples? Fruit Juices? Strawberries?
Raisins? Oranges? Mango? Guava? PapayaBasically, for
diabetics,One small apple, one-half cup fruit juice, or
one-half of a grapefruit all considered one serving of
fruit each.
What Is
Diabetes?
Your doctor may have recently advised you have diabetes. Or
you are overweight and you have discovered you may be at
risk of diabetes.
Ascensia Breeze
Glucometer Rated
Simple Testing Over and Over* simple and easy testing.
Simple single-function buttons are easy-to-use and easy to
understand* No more having to use individual test strips.
The Importance Of
Following And Maintaining A Diabetic Diet
A diabetic diet is a specially designed eating plan that is
high in carbohydrates and low in fat. People with diabetes
don't need to go out and purchase special foods to maintain
a diabetic diet, they can eat the same foods as the whole
family.
Gestational
Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a temporary condition that occurs
during pregnancy. Pregnant women who have never had
diabetes before, but who have high blood sugar levels
during pregnancy, are said to have gestational diabetes.
|
|
