According to the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI), “Diabetes can strike anyone, from any walk of life…in numbers that are dramatically increasing.” As stated also in my Part 1 on the subject, “Today, more than 34 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes.” Add to that figure, the fact that “Worldwide, more than 463 million people have diabetes.”
This very serious disease causes higher than normal (and sometimes lower than normal) blood sugar levels. This happens when your body cannot use or make effectively its own insulin, a hormone made by the pancreatic gland’s special cells known as islets. The Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) explains that “Insulin serves as a “key” to open your cells, to allow the sugar (glucose) from the food you eat to enter.” Your body is then able to use that glucose for energy. Diabetes 1 and diabetes 2, two of the most common forms of the disease, will be addressed in this article.
DIABETES 1:
Diabetes 1, previously known as juvenile diabetes, is now discovered amongst 5% of all ages of diabetic patients. This more severe form, known as insulin-dependent diabetes, proves to be a highly genetic form of autoimmune disease. Here the body’s own immune system attacks the pancreas’ insulin-producing islet cells that should normally sense glucose in the blood, thereby producing the right amount of insulin to normalize blood sugars. Once these islet cells are destroyed, an individual can no longer produce their own insulin. In fact, according to DRI, “Without insulin, there is no ‘key’ so the sugar stays in the blood and builds up. As a result, the body’s cells starve.” If this situation is left untreated, high blood sugars can damage the kidneys, heart, eyes, and the nerves. Untreated levels can also lead to coma and death.
Here are the symptoms of diabetes 1 that might occur very suddenly and cannot be ignored: increased thirst and increased urination, rapid and unexplained weight loss, extreme hunger, extreme weakness or fatigue, unusual irritability, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, unpleasant breath odor, and itchy skin.
After thorough testing, treatment of diabetes 1 uses insulin injections, an insulin pump, or another insulin device. This “outside” insulin then becomes “the key” to bringing glucose to the body’s cells. For the diabetic 1 patient, the challenge is choosing the correct amount of insulin to take daily. This amount is determined by many factors, such as the choice of food (see last paragraph below), exercise, stress levels, and general health and emotional stability. These factors can change throughout the day. Hypoglycemia results in taking too much insulin which can lead to dangerously low levels and death. Hyperglycemia results in taking too little insulin where the body’s cells are not getting enough sugar or energy that they need causing a person’s blood sugar to rise to a dangerous high level. This can lead to the complications found at the end of Paragraph 3 listed above and can be also life-threatening.
DIABETES 2:
Type 2 diabetes, is also referred to as adult onset diabetes, since it commonly begins after age 35. Now, however, a large number of younger people are also developing type 2 diabetes. This most common form of the disease (about 90% of diabetics) is known as non-insulin dependent diabetes, even though the “key” is not always ready to do its job. Sometimes the “key” here won’t work in trying to open the body’s cells to allow the glucose to enter. This form of Type 2 Diabetes can then be referred to as insulin-resistant. It is typically caused by being overweight and living a non-active lifestyle
Here the symptoms are similar to diabetes 1, but can be much less easily noticed. Type 2 diabetes is often confused with conditions of aging, hot weather, or overworking but should, nevertheless, not be ignored.
The treatment of diabetes 2 attempts to improve ways to better use the insulin already produced by the body in an effort to normalize the blood sugar levels. Again, after thorough testing, these treatment programs (as in diabetes 1) suggest a diet of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains and foods high in nutrition and fiber and low in fat and calories. This diet also promotes the removal of saturated fats, refined carbohydrates and sweets. The treatment promotes exercise (daily, if possible), and weight loss/body mass index (BMI) lower than 25. If blood sugar levels are still too high after this approach, medications are then suggested to help the body use its own insulin more successfully. In a few cases, the injection of insulin becomes mandatory.
