Diabetes Mellitus

             Food that we eat and is turned into glucose or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies.When you have diabetes, your body either doesn't make enough insulin or can't use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugars to build up in your blood. Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations.


Types of  Diabetes


 Type 1

• A person with Type 1 diabetes can't make any insulin.
• Type 1 most often occurs before age 30, but may strike at any age.
•  Type 1 can be caused by a genetic disorder.
•  The origins of Type 1 are not fully understood, and there are several theories.
•  But all of the possible causes still have the same end result: The pancreas produces very little or no insulin anymore.
• Frequent insulin injections` are needed for Type 1.
• It’s also termed as autoimmune disease of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas.
• Scientists believe that it may be a virus that triggers the immune system to attack the cells and permanently destroy them.
• The pancreas can no longer make the insulin necessary to transport sugar from the blood into the other cells of the body for energy.
• Sugar builds up in the blood and over time can damage internal organs and blood vessels.

Most noticeable signs of Type 1 Diabetes

• Increased thirst
•  increased urination
•  fatigue
• weight loss 
•  blurred vision are a few of the .

Type 2


Although type 2 diabetes is not always caused by obesity, being overweight is a risk factor for developing the disease.The good news: You can prevent the development of Type 2 diabetes by losing weight, making changes in your diet and exercising.


Risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes

•  Obesity - (Body Mass Index(BMI) of 30 or greater).
•  Poor diet - (Failure to eat fruits and vegetables daily).
• Sedentary lifestyle - Increased age - 21% of people over 60 have diabetes
•  Family history - Diabetes tends to run in families
•  Ethnicity
•  History of metabolic syndrome
•  History of gestational diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic (lifelong) disease marked by high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes.


 Type 2 Diabetes in Children


A few years ago, it was rare to hear about a child with type 2 diabetes. It used to be thought that if diabetes occurred in childhood, it was type 1, or juvenile-onset,diabetes.  Now,over 186,000 people under the age of 20 have diabetes -- both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes.The symptoms of type 2 diabetes in children develop slowly. Initially, there may be no symptoms. Eventually, you may notice one or more of these symptoms:

• Unexplained weight loss
• Increased hunger or thirst, even after eating
• Dry mouth
• Frequent urination
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Heavy breathing
• Slow healing of sores or cuts
• Itchy skin
• Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet

Prediabetes or Borderline Diabetes

People with prediabetes have glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough yet to indicate diabetes. The condition used to be called borderline diabetes. Most people with prediabetes don't have symptoms,but they are considered to be at high risk of developing heart disease.With prediabetes, the subtle balance between glucose and insulin has been thrown off. The pancreas may not be able to produce enough insulin after a meal to "clear" the incoming glucose from the blood. Or cells may be insulin resistant. When cells are insulin resistant, they won't allow the insulin to escort glucose from the bloodstream into them.If you have prediabetes, you're at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well as the serious medical problems associated with diabetes.


Gestational diabetes


Gestational diabetes is a condition characterized by high blood sugar (glucose) levels that is first recognized during pregnancy. The condition occurs in approximately 4% of all pregnancies.Usually the mother's pancreas is able to produce more insulin (about three times the normal amount) to overcome the effect of the pregnancy hormones on blood sugar levels. If, however, the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to overcome the effect of the increased hormones during pregnancy, blood sugar levels will rise, resulting in gestational diabetes.


The three big things about diabetes care 


1.Monitor your sugar levels(often)


2. Healthy Diabetic Diet Plan 

• Lower in calories
• Higher in complex carbohydrates found in vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grain cereals
• Lower in saturated fats like butter, cheese, and fatty meat
• Higher in mono and polyunsaturated fat like olive oil or canola oil   

 3.Exercise

• Strength Training : The latest findings show that exercise such as strenght training has a profound impact on helping people manage their diabetes. In a recent study, 16 weeks of strength training produced dramatic improvements in sugar control that are comparable to taking diabetes medication. Additionally, the study volunteers were stronger, gained muscle, lost body fat, had less depression, and felt much more self-confident.

• Aerobics: Any activity that raises your heart rate and keeps it up for an extended period of time will improve your aerobic fitness. Aerobic exercise helps decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes and helps those with diabetes to better manage their blood sugar levels. Besides the health benefits, exercise is fun and boosts your mood. It's hard to feel stressed when you're walking fast on a treadmill or swimming laps in a pool.

Prolonged or strenuous exercise can cause your body to produce adrenaline and other hormones that can counteract the effects of insulin and cause your blood sugar to rise.