Diabetes
1. Introduction.
2. Signs of Diabetes.
3. Causes of Diabetes.
4. Prevention of Diabetes.
PURCHASE A DIABETES TEST
Diabetes means that your blood sugar is too high. Your blood always has some sugar in it because the body uses sugar for energy; it's the fuel that keeps you going. But too much sugar in the blood is not good for your health.
Your body changes most of the food you eat into sugar. Your blood takes the sugar to the cells throughout your body. The sugar needs insulin to get into the body's cells. Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas, an organ near the stomach. The pancreas releases insulin into the blood. Insulin helps the sugar from food get into body cells. If your body does not make enough insulin or the insulin does not work right, the sugar can't get into the cells, so it stays in the blood. This makes your blood sugar level high, causing you to have diabetes.
If not controlled, diabetes can lead to blindness, heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, amputations (having a toe or foot removed, for example), and nerve damage. In women, diabetes can cause problems during pregnancy and make it more likely that your baby will be born with birth defects.
feeling very thirsty
urinating a lot
feeling very hungry
feeling very tired
losing weight without trying
having sores that are slow to heal
having dry, itchy skin
losing feeling in or having tingling in the hands or feet
having blurry vision
having more infections than usual
If you have one or more of these signs, see your doctor.
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The exact causes of both types of diabetes are still not known. Type 1 diabetes tends to show up after a person is exposed to a trigger, such as a virus, which can start an attack on the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. There is no one cause for type 2 diabetes, but it seems to run in families, and most people who get type 2 diabetes are overweight.
Gestational diabetes.
Changing hormones and weight gain are part of a healthy pregnancy, but these changes make it hard for your body to keep up with its need for insulin. When that happens, your body doesn't get the energy it needs from the foods you eat.
The best way to prevent diabetes is to make some lifestyle changes:
Maintain a healthy weight.
Being overweight raises your risk for diabetes. Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) to see if you're at a healthy weight. If you're overweight, start making small changes to your eating habits by adding more whole grain foods, fruits, and vegetables. Start exercising more, even if taking a short walk is all you can do for now. If you're not sure where to start, talk to your doctor.
Eat healthy.
Eat lots of whole grains (such as whole wheat or rye bread, whole grain cereal, or brown rice), fruits, and vegetables.
Choose foods low in fat and cholesterol.
Read food labels. If you eat 2,000 calories per day, you should eat no more than 56 grams of fat each day.
Limit your salt intake to less than 2,300 mg (about 1 teaspoon of salt) each day.
If you drink alcohol, limit it to no more than one drink (one 12-ounce beer, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or one 1.5-ounce shot of hard liquor) a day.
Get moving.
Try to exercise for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. Some suggestions:
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Take a brisk walk on your lunch break.
Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk.
Get off the bus or subway a few stops early and walk the rest of the way.
Walk or bicycle whenever you can.
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