Understanding Diabetes

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Apr 17, 2020, 11:41:15 AM4/17/20

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A whopping 30 million Americans have diabetes. And, even more people are unaware that they are at high risk for developing pre-diabetes or progressing to Type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes is often considered a transition step to Type 2 diabetes, but with important lifestyle changes Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed.

In all forms of diabetes, the body's ability to make or properly use insulin is affected. Insulin is a hormone that is made by the pancreas, and it helps your cells store and use energy from food. If you have diabetes, glucose collects in the blood but doesn’t get transported into the cells. Thus, your body is not getting the energy it needs. Also, the high levels of glucose circulate through the body, damaging cells along the way.

Diabetes increases the risk of having a heart attack or stroke and may lead to kidney, eye and nerve damage.

Types of Diabetes

The causes of diabetes are complex and still not fully known, and although food doesn't cause diabetes, it is part of the strategy for managing the disease

There are three main types of diabetes:

Type 1 Diabetes: The pancreas either makes no or too little insulin. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease that often begins in childhood. The onset is sudden. Just 5 percent of people with diabetes have Type 1. It cannot be prevented through diet or lifestyle, though they can be helpful in managing this condition.
Type 2 Diabetes: The pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body doesn't use the insulin it makes. Type 2 usually develops slowly. Nearly 88-percent of individuals with this type of diabetes have a body mass index that is considered to be overweight or obese. Other risk factors include family history of diabetes, a history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, older age and physical inactivity. African-Americans, Hispanic/Latino-Americans, American Indians, and some Asian-Americans and Native-Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders are at a higher risk for Type 2 and its complications.
Gestational Diabetes: With gestational diabetes, the body doesn’t make enough insulin during pregnancy. It is thought that other hormones may block the action of insulin. Gestational diabetes often goes away after the baby is born. However, women who develop this type of diabetes are at greater risk for Type 2 diabetes later in life.