What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition where people are unable to control the level of glucose- a type of sugar in their blood because their pancreas does not work properly. Diabetes result from a combination of heredity and environmental factors, such as what and how much a person eats and how much exercise they do. Some people are more at risk of developing diabetes than others these are some of the factors that might affect a person’s likelihood of developing diabetes; family history, age, ethnicity, weight, waist measurement, blood pressure and previous medical conditions. Some people may have only one of these factors, others may have many. Studies of identical twins have shown that if one twin develops diabetes, the other twin is likely to as well.
When someone has diabetes, the body produces either too little insulin or none at all. Without enough insulin, the body is unable to turn glucose from food into energy. This means blood glucose levels may become too high or too low, and need help to maintain healthy glucose levels. The pancreas is a small gland about 15 cm long, which lies crosswise behind the stomach. Under normal circumstances, the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin that controls the amount of glucose in the blood. Insulin is produced by groups of cells inside the pancreas known as the islets of Langerhans. Insulin converts glucose from food into energy to be used by the body. Glucose is found in carbohydrates, such as bread products, cereals, rice, potatoes, yams and plantain, as well as in sugar and other sweet foods. Insulin also helps the liver absorb and store glucose that is not being used immediately. When the body needs energy, the liver releases glucose into the bloodstream and insuli...
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...etes in children is linked to the rise in childhood obesity. Overweight people have lots of fat cells in their bodies which are more resistant to insulin than muscle cells. The pancreas usually responds to this by producing more insulin. This can go on for a long time, sometimes many years. Eventually the pancreas is unable to continue producing the high amounts of insulin needed to keep blood sugar levels normal. Up to 80 per cent of cases of type 2 are preventable by adopting a healthy diet and increasing physical activity.
Type 1 symptoms include unnecessary thirst and urination, unexplained weight loss, weakness and fatigue. Type 2 symptoms are similar to those in type 1. However, some people with type 2 do not have any symptoms at all. For others the first indication may be complication of diabetes such as a heart attack, blurred vision and a foot ulcer.
Diabetes is a chronic illness that should never, under any circumstances, be taken lightly. If anyone is experiencing any of the signs or symptoms, listed above, they should follow up with their primary doctor. Knowing the signs and symptoms, the testing process, and the management of Diabetes, may help save a person’s life.
Our body obtains the energy by digesting the carbohydrates into glucose. Volumes of glucose are required by the body to create ATP. ATP is short for 'Adenosine Triphosphate ' and is an energy carrier. When we consume too many carbohydrates our body produces a lot of glucose and as a result blood glucose levels rise and sometimes they may rise over the normal range of blood glucose concentration. To bring it back within the healthy range, the homeostatic system of blood glucose regulation is used. The blood flows through the pancreas where the beta cells, receptors, detect the high blood glucose level. To counteract this stimuli beta cells alert the control centre, which are also the beta cells located in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. The secretion of insulin has to be done quickly but can only be carried out when insulin gene is switched on. Turning on the insulin gene switch can take 30 minutes to an hour therefore, the production of insulin by beta cells are done in advance and are packaged in vesicles right until blood glucose rises. Glucose comes into the beta cell to trigger the vesicle that contains the insulin to move towards the plasma membrane and fuse. This releases the insulin into the bloodstream where they are distributed throughout the body and only affect specific target cells. The receptor, a protein, on the target cell’s plasma membrane recognises and connects
The pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus in is related to the insulin hormone. Insulin is secreted by cells in the pancreas and is responsible for regulating the level of glucose in the bloodstream. It also aids the body in breaking down the glucose to be used as energy. When someone suffers from diabetes, however, the body does not break down the glucose in the blood as a result of abnormal insulin metabolism. When there are elevated levels of glucose in the blood, it is known as hyperglycemia. If the levels continue to remain high over an extended period of time, damage can be done to the kidneys, cardiovascular systems; you can get eye disorders, or even cause nerve damage. When the glucose levels are low in one’s body, it is called hypoglycemia. A person begins to feel very jittery, and possibly dizzy. If that occurs over a period of time, the person can possibly faint. Diabetes mellitus occurs in three different forms - type 1, type 2, and gestational.
2. Type 2 on the other hand, results from the cell’s inability to use insulin appropriately (RCT).
In the beginning of this process the pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for the “insulin resistance.” But over time your pancreas is not about to make enough insulin to keep you blood glucose levels normal. 14Exactly how Type 2 diabetes occurs is unknown to scientists but they have found that genetics and lifestyle play a role in it. Genetics, although your parents may have this disease it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get it for sure but it does raise the likelihood.
Diabetes is a disease in which a person’s body in unable to make or utilize insulin properly which affects blood sugar levels. Insulin is a hormone that is produced in the pancreas, which helps to regulate glucose (sugar) levels, break down carbohydrates and fats, and is essential to produce the body’s energy. The CDC (2013) offers reliable insight, summarized here, into the different types of diabetes, some causes, and health complications that may arise from the disease.
When the blood glucose is higher than the normal levels, this is known as diabetes disease. The body turns the food we eat into glucose or sugar and use it for energy. The insulin is a hormone created by the pancreas to help the glucose get into the cells. The sugar builds up in the blood because either the body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t well use its own insulin (CDC, 2015). In the United States diabetes is known as the seventh leading cause of death. There are different types of diabetes. However, there are two main types of diabetes and these are; Diabetes type 1 and Diabetes type 2 (CDC, 2015).
Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond to insulin, a hormone that allows blood glucose (blood sugar) to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy. Diabetes falls into two main categories: type 1, or juvenile diabetes, which usually occurs during childhood or adolescence, and type 2, or adult-onset diabetes, the most common form of the disease, usually occurring after age 40. Type 1 results from the body’s immune system attacking the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The onset of juvenile diabetes is much higher in the winter than in the summer. This association has been repeatedly confirmed in diabetes research. Type 2 is characterized by “insulin resistance,” or an inability of the cells to use insulin, sometimes accompanied by a deficiency in insulin production. There is also sometimes a third type of diabetes considered. It is gestational diabetes, which occurs when the body is not able to properly use insulin during pregnancy. Type 2 diabetes encompasses nine out of 10 diabetic cases. Diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States, and it has no cure. The total annual economic cost of diabetes in 2002 was estimated to be $132 billion, or one out of every 10 health care dollars spent in the United States. Diabetes risk factors can fall into three major categories: family history, obesity, and impaired glucose tolerance. Minority groups and elderly are at the greatest risk of developing diabetes.
Most common people will see that they are suffering from type 2 diabetes. Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 is not because your immune system is attacking the insulin but is because your body simply does not produce the required insulin. 90% of people who have diabetes are diagnosed with type 2 (Medical News...
Diabetes is a disease that causes an abnormally high level of sugar, or glucose, to build up in the blood. Glucose comes from food we consume and also from our liver and muscles. Blood delivers glucose to all the cells in the body. In people without diabetes, the pancreas makes a chemical called insulin which is released into the blood stream. Insulin helps the glucose from the food get into cells. When the pancreas doesn’t make insulin, it can’t get into the cells and the insulin stays in the blood stream. The blood glucose level gets very high, causing the person to have type one diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes, is an incurable but treatable disease which can occur at any age but is mostly found in children due to the high levels of glucose in the blood (Eckman 2011). Juvenile diabetes affects about 1 in every 400-600 children and more than 13,000 are diagnosed yearly (Couch 2008). Type 1 Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar, is too high. With Type 1 diabetes, your pancreas does not make insulin. Insulin is a hormone, which helps glucose gets into your cells to provide energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems with your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, gums and teeth (American Diabetes Association). Previous research has suggested proper insulin management, a balanced diet and exercise will help maintain glycemic control and lessen the chance of complications (Couch 2008).
The pancreas uses these two hormones in order to monitor blood glucose levels. After a meal, blood glucose usually rises. This is when insulin secretion will start (Nussey S, Whitehead S. “Endocrinology: An Integrated Approach”). Consequently, blood glucose decrease to the normal range. This is how insulin maintains blood levels when is high. However, when blood level falls below normal range, glucagon comes into play. Low blood glucose occurs usually when hungry and during exercise. This will then triggers glucagon secretion. When blood level falls, the body goes into imbalance. Hence is why in order to maintain homeostasis glucagon is crucial. The body will tell the pancreas to increase more glucose and the pancreas will secrete glucagon by taking glycogen from the liver to produce glucose. The glucose will produce energy and will make blood glucose concentration increase (Homeostasis of Insulin and Glucose, Abpischools.org). When the pancreas cannot maintain homeostasis, many problems will arise in the body. When the pancreas fails to produce insulin, type 1 and 2 diabetes can occur. For those with type 1 diabetes, insulin injections will be needed in order to regulate blood glucose level, otherwise, glucose levels will be out of control. For type 2 diabetes, they are not insulin dependent like type 1, however, the body does not create enough in the body. When blood glucose
Diabetes is a disease that affects your pancreas, an important organ in regulating blood sugar. When a person has diabetes, there are two ways it can affect the pancreas because there are two types of the disease. Type-1 diabetes affects the pancreas by not allowing the body to produce enough insulin to keep the body’s blood sugar at a healthy level. The opposite is for Type-2 which produces too much insulin and gives the body too much insulin keeping the blood sugar number above healthy (Type-2). On my mother’s side of the family, Type-1 diabetes is prevalent and it isn’t entirely considered an inherited disease, but it has been proven to have some genetic factors that can be passed down.
The first step to knowing if you have diabetes is to identify its symptoms. Patients frequently overlook symptoms of: “Urinating often,” “Feeling very thirsty,” “Feeling very hungry even though you are eating,” “Extreme fatigue,” “Blurry vision,” “Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal” (“Symptoms”). These “symptoms of diabetes are typical. However, some people with type 2 diabetes have symptoms so...
Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of diseases that affect how your body uses blood glucose, commonly called blood sugar. Glucose is vital to your health because it's an important source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and tissues. Glucose comes from two different sources, your liver and food. It's also your brain's main source of fuel. Glucose is made and stored in the liver. When your blood sugar gets low then your liver will use the stored glucose to keep your blood sugar level normal. If you have diabetes it means you have too much glucose in your blood. This is where insulin comes in. Diabetes is a growing epidemic in America's many nutritional diseases. There are a few factors that can cause or increase a person's chance of getting diabetes. Poor nutritional choices are a big factor in the cause of diabetes. The sad part is the increase is happening to the young children and teenagers in America. I will talk about what diabetes is, the increase in diabetes and why it’s so high, the complications that follow the diagnosis, and how it can be treated or reduced with diet and exercise.