What is Diabetes?

 

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. The food you eat is transformed into glucose and released into your bloodstream. Having diabetes means either your body doesn’t make enough insulin or the insulin isn’t being used right by the body. Another term for diabetes would be Diabetes Mellitus.

 

 

 

 

Type 1 Diabetes

 

Type 1 Diabetes is caused by an autoimmune reaction that stops your body from making insulin. Some symptoms develop rather quickly within children, teens, and young adults. Type 1 diabetes requires an insulin shot daily to survive. There is currently no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes.

 

 

 

 

Type 2 Diabetes

 

Type 2 Diabetes is when your body doesn’t use insulin well therefore making it difficult to keep blood sugars normal. Roughly 90-95%  of people with diabetes have type 2. The best way to prevent diabetes is with healthy lifestyle choices.

 

 

 

 

Gestational Diabetes

 

Gestational Diabetes develops in pregnant women that have never had diabetes. Having this type of diabetes puts your baby at a higher risk for health problems. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born but will increase your risk for type 2 diabetes in the future.

 

 

 

 

Prediabetes

 

With about 96 million adults in the U.S, more than 1 in 3 of them  have prediabetes. Prediabetes means increased blood sugar levels but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. This raises risk for type 2 diabetes, strokes, or even heart disease.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

 

Before developing type 2 diabetes, they most likely will have prediabetes. Prediabetes is very common in US adults and can be reversed with some lifestyle changes including eating more healthy foods. Participate in more physical activities and manage your stress to deal with it accordingly. Motivation goes a long way in helping achieve your goals. As long as you give an effort to engage in any of these, you will less likely be a victim of prediabetes and even type 2 diabetes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some Facts About Diabetes

 

• Over a third of US adults have prediabetes, and about 8-10 of them don’t know they have it.
• Diabetes could lead to heart disease if not taken care of properly.
• Despite being underreported, diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States.
• The costs for people diagnosed with diabetes totals to around $327 billion annually.
• Medical costs are twice as high for people diagnosed with diabetes.
• Diabetes, if not managed well, can lead to blindness, kidney failure, stalling your body’s healing process making wounds more likely to get infected, and even amputations.
• In the last 20 years, the amount of people identified with diabetes has doubled.

 

Sources:

 

https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/default.htm

https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes