Diabets Is a Treatable Disease

Diabets is a chronic disease in which the body's glucose levels are higher than they should be. The levels can be high due to one of two reasons. 1) the body is unable to produce enough insulin to handle the glucose in the body's bloodstream. 2) The body produces enough insulin but due to other body impairments the insulin is simply not effective in doing it's job.

Glucose is important to our body. Without it, we cannot function. If our body is unable to convert it to energy, our body's systems will simply shut down and we'll die.

Diabetes is a common disease. Over 22 million people in the U.S. have the disease, many of them undiagnosed. The obesity epidemic among today's children is even causing many of them to come down with the disease.

The exact cause of diabetes remains a mystery. All that is know so far is that both heredity and lifestyle play some role in the development of the disease. And even though we don't know the cause, we can identify some of the risk factors associated with getting the disease. This is important as it allows us to begin to modify some of the factors that we actually have control over. This gives us an opportunity to either decrease our chances of getting diabetes or at least limit the severity of the disease if we do get it.

Some of the most common risk factors are obesity, pregnancy, certain oral contraceptives, race, body type, and lace of exercise.

But being diagnosed with diabetes is not a death sentence. Today, there are many treatments available for diabetes. It is a manageable disease and having it should not prevent you from doing whatever you want to do with your life.

The two main types of diabetes are type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 1, or juvenile diabetes, is a disease that is triggered at birth or very early in the child's development. In this type of diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin. It is genetic. Type 2, or adult-onset diabetes, usually occurs later in life and is often triggered by lifestyle issues. In fact, the older you get, the more likely you are to develop the disease.

Because you can have diabetes without being aware of it, the only way to know for sure is to have your doctor give you a glucose test. Some doctors do this automatically and periodically for people over a certain age. But if your doctor doesn't, perhaps you should prompt him. It's important to be tested because, left unchecked, diabetes can do serious damage to your hear, kidneys, nerves, and other critical parts of the body. Most of those diagnosed with diabetes, have type 2.

The important thing is to begin to take control of your life by realizing that diabetes is a treatable disease. Start to exercise. Begin to eat healthy by limiting the amount of refined sugar products that you eat and increasing the amount of healthy vegetable fibers. Monitor your blood sugar levels. These are all simple things you can do to begin the process of reclaiming your life for yourself.

Type 1 Diabetes Pregnancy Complications
Unfortunately, type 1 diabetes pregnancy complications are not a rarity. The disease can cause problems for both the baby and the mom.

Diabetes Diet Information and Guidelines
OOne of the best sources of diabetes diet information is the food pyramid. In fact, if everyone were to follow these guidelines, we'd have much lower incidences of obesity and type 2 diabetes in this country.

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