What We Need To Know About Diabetes (Part 2)

In my previous post, I have shared about my Mom's battle with diabetes and how my family, hopefully learned from it. We are continuously learning as my Mom continue with her fight.  

Based on research and on numerous readings about the illness, I have learned that all of us are not immune to it, even young children. Since prevention is better than cure, it is best to be well informed so as not to experience its repercussions later on.

In this post, let me share some simple and easy to understand explanation on the definition & types of diabetes plus an info graphic regarding its signs. Another valuable information regarding  prediabetes  was  also explained plus a short quiz if you and I might be possible candidates.


Definition of Diabetes

According to kidshealth.org, "Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses
glucose , a sugar that is the body's main source of fuel. Just as an iPod needs a battery, your body needs glucose to keep running. Here's how it should work :

1. You eat.
2. Glucose from the food gets into your bloodstream.
3. Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin
4. Insulin helps the glucose get into the body's cells.
5. Your body gets the energy it needs.

The pancreas is a long, flat gland in your belly that helps your body digest food. It also makes insulin. Insulin is kind of like a key that opens the doors to the cells of the body. It lets the glucose in so it  can move out of the blood and into the cells.

But if someone has diabetes, the body either can't make insulin or the insulin doesn't work in the body like it should. The glucose can't get into the cells normally, so the blood sugar level gets too high. Lots of sugar in the blood makes people sick if they don't get treatment.


What Is Type1 Diabetes ?

According to mayoclinic.org, Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone needed to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy. Various factors may contribute to type 1 diabetes, including genetics and exposure to certain viruses. Although type 1 diabetes usually appears during childhood or adolescence, it also can begin in adults.

Despite active research, type 1 diabetes has no cure. But it can be managed. With proper treatment, people with type 1 diabetes can expect to live longer, healthier lives than did people with type 1 diabetes in the past.


What is Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes, once known as adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar (glucose), your body's important source of fuel.

With type 2 diabetes, your body either resists the effects of insulin — a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into your cells — or doesn't produce enough insulin to maintain a normal glucose level.

More common in adults, type 2 diabetes increasingly affects children as childhood obesity increases. There's no cure for type 2 diabetes, but you may be able to manage the condition by eating well, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight. If diet and exercise aren't enough to manage your blood sugar well, you also may need diabetes medications or insulin therapy.

        

                                                 Source : Visually

What Is PREDIABETES ?

Based on an article from Centers For Disease Control and Prevention , "a person with prediabetes has a blood sugar level higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. He or she is at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, including heart disease, and stroke. Without lifestyle changes to improve their health, 15% to 30% of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within five years.

A person with certain risk factors is more likely to develop prediabetes and type 2    diabetes. These risk factors include: 

*  Age, especially after 45 years of age

*  Being overweight or obese

*  A family history of diabetes 

*  Having an African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander racial or ethnic background 

*  A history of diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes) or having given birth to a baby weighing nine pounds or more and 

*  Lastly being physically active less than three times a week."

 
Could you have Prediabetes? 

Take the quiz and find out if you are at risk. Click on the prediabetes test widget on the right side of this page. (For mobile users, the widget is on the bottom page of the web version of this site) and answer the seven questions to get your prediabetes score.


If you do have prediabetes, research shows that doing just two things can help you prevent or delay type 2 diabetes: Lose 5% to 7% of your body weight, which would be10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person; and get at least 150 minutes each week of physical activity, such as brisk walking.





Up Next:  Causes & Prevention of Diabetes (Part 3)