Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease which millions of people suffer from.  This is a disease which the body does not produce or properly use insulin.  Insulin is a hormone which the body needs to convert sugar, starches, and other foods into energy needed for daily life.
Diabetes can be controlled by diet and medication.  If diabetes is not controlled however, it can lead to severe complications.  Conditions such as blindness, loss of limbs, and coma are a few of the problems reported when diabetes is not controlled. 

Diabetes Risk Factors

There are several risk factors for developing diabetes.  Some people have more of a chance of developing diabetes than others do.  It is important to know the risk factors of diabetes.  It is important to let your doctor know if you have any of the risk factors.  This way the doctor can make sure that he monitors your sugar.  If you do not let your doctor know that you have one of the risk factors, he will not know to send you for tests.
Genetics is a major factor in this disease.  If you have immediate family members who suffer from diabetes, it is very possible that you could develop this disease as well.  Letting your doctor know about your family history is very important.

Another factor in developing diabetes is weight.  Someone who is obese is prone to developing diabetes.  Diabetes is one of the biggest risks on obese people.  Because obesity is a huge problem in America today, diabetes is also.  Keeping one’s weight down is very important in preventing diabetes. Lack of exercise can also play a part in diabetes. 

Knowing the risk factors and making your doctor aware are very important.  The statistics show that 20.8 million people, or seven percent of the population suffer from diabetes.  Of these 20.8 million people, only 14.6 of them have been diagnosed.  The other 6.2 million were undiagnosed.  One-third of the people with diabetes do not even know that they have it.  This is why it is so important to know the risk factors and also to keep your doctor informed.

How is Diabetes Diagnosed

There are tests that your doctor can perform to determine if you have diabetes or not. These tests are very important.  If you do have diabetes there are things that need to be done, lifestyle changes to be made.  Being tested for diabetes is very important. 
One of the tests used for diabetes is a fasting plasma glucose test or FPG.  This test is the most highly recommended test because it is easier, faster, and less expensive to perform.  When this test is done, a reading of between 100 and 125 signals pre-diabetes.  A reading of 126 or higher signals diabetes.
 
Another test used is an oral glucose tolerance test.  When this test is done, the patient is told to fast for twelve hours before going in for the test.  When the patient goes in for the test, she is given a glucose-rich beverage to drink.  Two hours later, the patient is tested for diabetes.  Of the patient has a blood glucose level between 140 to 199, she is considered having pre-diabetes.  A reading over 200 makes the patient a diabetic. 

There are more that one type of diabetes.  They type of diabetes you have depends on the patient’s age, the severity of the disease, or the patient’s condition when the diabetes develops. 

Type 1 Diabetes is the less common type.  Between five and ten percent of people diagnosed with diabetes have Type 1.  This is the result of the body’s failure to produce insulin.  Insulin is the hormone that “unlocks” the cells of the body allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. 

Type 2 Diabetes is another common type.  This results from insulin resistance combined with relative insulin deficiency.  This occurs when the body does fails to properly use insulin.  Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. 

Another form of diabetes is gestational diabetes.  This form occurs in pregnant women.  Any woman can get gestational diabetes.  Even if she has never had a problem with her sugar or insulin in the past, gestational diabetes could be a problem.  If a woman did not have gestational diabetes with her first child, it is still possible for her to develop it with the second and vise versa. 

Pre-diabetes is another condition.  This condition is determined when a person’s sugar level is high but not high enough to be considered Type 2 diabetes.  There are fifty four Americans who have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes.  

Myths Regarding Diabetes

There are many myths regarding diabetes.  Knowing what is truth and what is myth is very important. 

One myth is that eating too much sugar can cause diabetes.  This is not true.  Being overweight is linked with diabetes but eating sugar does not.

Another myth linked to diabetes is that people with diabetes cannot eat sweets or chocolate.  This is not true.  As long as you stick to a healthy diet and an exercise plan, it is alright t eat chocolate. 

Another myth is that people who have diabetes should eat special diabetic foods.  This is not true.  As long as a person with diabetes sticks to their diet, no special diabetic food is necessary. 

There are many things that a person with diabetes should know regarding this disease.  The more knowledge a person has, the better is their chance of staying healthy.