What You Should Know About Type 2 Diabetes
With type 1 diabetes, the pancreas is incapable of producing sufficient insulin, which transports glucose (sugar) from the digestive system and into the blood, where it can be used as fuel. Similarly, type 2 diabetes, which develops over time, usually as a result of obesity and old age, interferes with the way the body metabolizes sugar. While there is currently no cure for diabetes, there are ways to manage the condition, such as eating a healthy diet, adding more physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight. Sometimes medication or insulin therapy can help maintain proper blood sugar levels.
Scientists aren’t entirely sure what causes type 2 diabetes, although the process itself has been observed. In a normal body, a person digests food, which is absorbed into the bloodstream, with the help of insulin produced by the pancreas, and distributed to cells for energy consumption. When the body is through using energy, the remaining insulin then lowers the amount of sugar in the bloodstream, which decreases the amount of insulin secreted from the pancreas. The liver stores and manufactures glucose when insulin levels are low. All these processes keep the body regulated and properly transporting energy throughout your system. However, the system of type 2 diabetics has gone mad, and sugar builds up in the bloodstream rather than dispersing it to cells, because the cells have become resistant to insulin. By contrast, with type 1 diabetes, the body is just not producing any insulin.
The complications of type 2 diabetes are easy to ignore at first. So what if you have to pee every hour or you’re drinking constantly to quench your thirst? Who doesn’t feel a little bit tired or have a sudden pang of extreme hunger every once in a while? Yet doctors caution that diabetes can affect all major organs if left untreated, so it’s very important to monitor blood sugar levels. The short term troubles of diabetes include high blood sugar, an increased number of toxic acid ketones in your urine, which can lead to a coma and low blood sugar, which may lead to unconsciousness. The long-term consequences are far more severe, with a significantly increased risk of developing heart disease, coronary artery disease, strokes, nerve damage, kidney failure, eye damage, foot injuries, tooth loss, skin infections, osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s.
When you have type 2 diabetes, monitoring your blood sugar becomes extremely important in preventing heart attacks, strokes and sudden comas. Healthy eating and adhering to portion control are essential components of diabetes care. One to two hours after a meal, the blood sugar will need the most monitoring. Physical activity moves sugar from the blood to the cells, so exercising is an asset to the diabetic. Medications, illnesses, stress, fluctuating hormones during menstrual cycles or menopause and alcohol consumption are all factors that may affect your blood sugar levels and treatments. For this reason, daily A1C testing is often recommended.
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