Diabetes

Do you know all about Diabetes and Diabetes 2? For advice and tips on symptoms of this medical condition as well learning about diet and the effects of foods read on.

If you, or someone you know may be suffering from Diabetes, the more you know about the medical condition, the better you'll be able to cope and adapt.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to produce the proper levels of insulin. In many cases you can lead an almost normal life - with some minor adjustments.

What does Insulin do?

Insulin is a hormone that helps sugar found in the blood, also called glucose, to enter the cells and provide energy for the body.

If the body can't produce insulin at all, that is classified as Type 1 Diabetes, and if the body can only produce small amounts, it's called Type 2 Diabetes.

Living with Diabetes

Learning to live with Diabetes means learning how to regulate your intake of foods that are transformed into glucose in the digestive process. So what causes this condition? And what kind of treatments and lifestyle choices can help you better deal with this condition?

Type 1 of this illness occurs spontaneously in people before the age of 40. It is the rarest form of the illness, and generally affects 5-15% of the population. There is no cure for this form of the illness, but sufferers usually live fairly normal lives if they follow proper dietary and treatment requirements.

Type 2 of this illness is generally linked with being overweight, and usually appears in people over the age of 40, though it can be seen in African/Caribbean and South Asian people over the age of 25. Type 2 is the most common form of the illness, and is responsible for 85-95% of cases.

Neither of these forms of the illness can be cured, but they can be effectively managed with treatment. Type 1 is treated through daily insulin injections (usually four) and a balanced diet. Type 2 is treated by making changes to diet and exercise regimes that will result in increased physical activity and eventual weight loss.

With Type 2 Diabetes, tablets are also sometimes prescribed to help you body make better use of the insulin it's able to produce. If you or a loved one suffers from the condition, a visit to your GP can help diagnose you and set out a course of treatment that will help you regulate your condition and your life.