What is diabetes?

Diabetes is when there is too much sugar in your blood. Your body makes insulin to carry sugar from the blood into your cells where it can be burned as fuel. If your insulin is too low or is not effective (insulin resistance), the sugar can't get into your cells and builds up in your blood.

In Type 1 diabetes (most often in younger people), there is too little insulin. This occurs because the cells making insulin were destroyed by your body when it confused parts of those cells with an outside infection. Taking insulin is usually necessary, but we will talk about how to prevent complications of the diabetes. Avoiding both sugar and dehydration (drink water) are critical here. The good news is that there will likely be alternatives to insulin shots and we are even creating the ability to put new insulin-creating cells back into your body in the future. For now though, frustrating and annoying as it is, please stay with your medical program of insulin and monitoring your blood sugar. Instead of sugars, use Stevia and use sugar free candies, ice cream, chocolate, etc. Enjoy your pleasure, but since the Atkins Diet came through, there are sugar free ways to do it.

When blood sugar goes too high, it spills into the urine, pulling water with it. This causes increased urination and thirst. When this happens in Type 1 diabetes, dehydration can cause your blood sugar to skyrocket and put you in the hospital. Stay hydrated!

In Type 2 diabetes (usually in overweight adults) there is plenty of insulin, but the insulin does not work (called "insulin resistance"). This is triggered by being overweight and genetics. In men, if associated with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, it is called "Metabolic Syndrome" and is often caused by testosterone deficiency (a blood level under about 450 should be treated). In women, paradoxically, an elevated testosterone can cause diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease that affects the way the body uses food. It causes blood glucose levels (blood sugar) to be too high.

Normally, during digestion, the body changes sugars, starches, and other foods into a form of sugar called glucose. Then the blood caries this glucose to cells throughout the body. There, with the help of insulin (a hormone), glucose is changed into quick energy for the cells to use or store for future needs. (Insulin is made in the beta cells of the pancreas, a small organ behind the stomach.) This process of turning food into energy is crucial, because the body depends on food for every action, from pumping blood and thinking to running and jumping.

In diabetes, something goes wrong with the normal process of turning food into energy. Food is changed into glucose readily enough, but there is a problem with insulin. In one type of diabetes, the pancreas cannot make insulin. In another type, the body makes some insulin, but has trouble using the insulin. When insulin is absent or ineffective, the glucose in the bloodstream cannot be used by the cells to make energy. Instead, glucose collects in the blood, eventually leading to the high glucose levels that are the hallmark of untreated diabetes.

Types of Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes used to be called juvenile-onset diabetes because it occurs most often in children and young adults. But the name was changed after doctors realized it could occur at any age. In this form of diabetes, the pancreas stops making insulin or makes only a tiny amount. Insulin is necessary to life, so the hormone must be injected every day.

Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes because it occurs most often in adults. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces some insulin but it is not used very well.

Gestational diabetes is high blood glucose that first occurs during pregnancy. It usually disappears after the birth of the baby, although most women will develop diabetes (usually type 2) during their lifetime.

Prediabetes means that blood glucose falls between "normal" and "diabetic" levels. People with prediabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart problems.

Diabetes is a condition that prevents the body from properly metabolizing sugar from food and using it as fuel in the body's cells. When you digest food, most of it is broken down into glucose, a type of sugar. The glucose is then transported in the blood to individual cells to burn for energy. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, is needed to get the glucose into the cells - like a key that opens a door.

In healthy people, the body automatically senses how much glucose is in the bloodstream and releases the right amount of insulin. In diabetes, the pancreas doesn't make enough insulin or the cells are resistant to the insulin, or both. As a result, the amount of glucose in the blood climbs too high while the cells starve for energy.

Diabetes is a syndrome characterized by disordered metabolism and abnormally high blood sugar resulting from an insufficiency of the hormone insulin. The characteristic symptoms are excessive urine production due to high blood-glucose levels, excessive thirst, increased fluid uptake, unexplained weight loss, and lethargy.

Diabetes is a condition in which the body can no longer regulate blood sugar levels, resulting in an unhealthy buildup of glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream. High blood glucose may not cause immediate, noticeable symptoms, but over time, it can damage blood vessels and lead to serious complications, including heart disease, kidney problems, nerve damage, and blindness. That's why the main goal in managing diabetes is to keep blood sugar levels as close to healthy as possible.

Your body converts carbohydrates from the foods you eat into a simple sugar called glucose -- your body's main source of fuel. During digestion, the glucose is passed into your bloodstream, causing your blood glucose level to rise. Normally, this triggers the release of insulin -- a hormone produced by your pancreas -- which helps move extra glucose out of your bloodstream and into your cells, where it's used for energy. In people with diabetes, however, this is where the system breaks down because there's no insulin or not enough insulin, or because cells have become resistant to insulin.

Take the RealAge Test!

Diabetes is a condition in which you have a higher-than-normal blood sugar level (also called blood glucose level) in your bloodstream. You are diagnosed as having diabetes if your blood sugar level is over 125 mg/dl after you have been without food for 12 hours. You are diagnosed as having prediabetes if your blood sugar range is 100 to 125 mg/dl. An elevated blood sugar level is harmful to all of the arteries in your body; so, over time, if your blood sugar level remains elevated, the organs in your body will start to malfunction and die. This can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, and blindness.

A high blood sugar level is also toxic to your nerves and immune cells and can cause painful, numb extremities; bowel and bladder problems; difficulty with erections if you are a man; poor wound healing; and frequent infections.

Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism - the way our bodies use digested food for growth and energy. Most of the food we eat is broken down into glucose, the form of sugar in the blood. Glucose is the main source of fuel for the body.

After digestion, glucose passes into the bloodstream, where it is used by cells for growth and energy. For glucose to get into cells, insulin must be present. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, a large gland behind the stomach.

Find out more about this book: Half the Mother, Twice the Love: My Journey to Better Health with Diabetes

Buy Book

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disorder of carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism characterized by fasting elevations of blood sugar (glucose) levels and a greatly increased risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, retinopathy, and loss of nerve function. Diabetes can occur when the pancreas does not secrete enough insulin or when the cells of the body become resistant to insulin. In either case, the blood sugar cannot get into the cells for storage, which then leads to serious complications.

Diabetes is divided into two major categories: type 1 and type 2. Type 1, or insulin dependent, diabetes mellitus occurs most often in children and adolescents and is associated with complete destruction of the beta cells of the pancreas, which manufacture the hormone insulin. Type 1 diabetics require lifelong insulin for the control of blood sugar levels. Type 2, or non-insulin-dependent, diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), usually has an onset after 40 years of age, although the incidence of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents has increased dramatically in the last decade. About 90 percent of all diabetics are type 2. Initially, their insulin levels are typically elevated, indicating a loss of sensitivity to insulin by the cells of the body, otherwise known as insulin resistance.

Other types of diabetes include:

• Secondary diabetes, which is a form of diabetes that is secondary to other conditions, such as pancreatic disease, hormone disturbances, medication use, and malnutrition.
• Gestational diabetes, which is a form of glucose intolerance that occurs during pregnancy.
• Impaired glucose tolerance, which is a condition that includes prediabetic or borderline diabetes. Individuals with impaired glucose tolerance have blood glucose levels and glucose tolerance test (GTT) results that are intermediate between normal and clearly abnormal.

Find out more about this book: Encyclopedia of Healing Foods

Buy Book

Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a chronic health condition where the body is unable to produce enough insulin and properly break down sugar (glucose) in the blood. Glucose comes from food and is used by the cells for energy. Glucose is also made in the liver. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, a large gland behind the stomach. Insulin is needed to move sugar into the cells where it can be used for energy needed for body processes.

After digestion of food, glucose passes into the bloodstream. For glucose to get into cells, insulin must be present. Throughout the pancreas are clusters of cells called the islets of Langerhans. Islets are made up of several types of cells, including beta cells that make insulin. When normal individuals eat, beta cells in the pancreas automatically produce the right amount of insulin to move glucose from blood into the cells of the body. In individuals with diabetes, however, the pancreas either produces little or no insulin, or the cells do not respond appropriately to the insulin that is produced. Glucose builds up in the blood, overflows into the urine, and passes out of the body in the urine. Thus, the body loses its main source of fuel even though the blood contains large amounts of glucose. Glucose may also interact with cells, especially those in very narrow blood vessels. This process may lead to neuropathies and decreased immune function.

With Type 1 diabetes, the body does not make any insulin. With Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, the body does not make or use insulin properly. Without enough insulin, glucose stays in the blood and causes a condition called hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar levels.

Diabetes is associated with long-term complications that affect almost every part of the body. The disease often leads to blindness, heart and blood vessel disease, stroke, kidney failure, amputations, and nerve damage. Uncontrolled diabetes can complicate pregnancy, and birth defects are more common in babies born to women with diabetes. Pregnant women can temporarily develop gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes that begins late in pregnancy.

Diabetes is a condition in which sugar (glucose) remains in the blood rather than entering the body's cells to be used for energy. This results in high blood sugar. Over time, high blood sugar can damage many body systems.

Symptoms of diabetes include increased thirst and frequent urination (especially at night); unexplained increase in appetite; unexplained weight loss; fatigue; erection problems; blurred vision; and tingling, burning, or numbness in the hands or feet.

People who have high blood sugar over a long period of time are at increased risk for many serious health problems, including hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and heart problems, eye problems that can lead to blindness, circulation and nerve problems, and kidney disease and kidney failure.

Women with diabetes and high blood sugar who become pregnant have an increased risk of miscarriage and birth defects.

Diabetes is treated with diet and lifestyle changes and with medicines. If blood sugar levels are kept within the recommended range, the risk for many complications from diabetes decreases.