Welcome to More Diabetes
History Of Diabetes Article
For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
Understanding Diabetes and How It Works
To understand diabetes you must know how the body works. Knowing what changes your body goes through, will help you better understand why complications happen. Our bodies break down the food we eat during digestion. Food is broken down to three groups, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Meat, fish, eggs, and other dairy products give us the protein we need. Fats are found in vegetable oils, meat, cheese, and some dairy products. Carbohydrates find their way into our bodies through starches and sugars. Bread, pasta, fruits, and vegetables all have starches and sugars.
Our carbohydrates then break down into blood sugar, this glucose gives us the energy that we need in our body. The energy we need to take a brisk walk, run after a child, or take an aerobics class, all comes from carbohydrates. Blood sugar needs the help of insulin to absorb the glucose. The pancreas puts out insulin and other enzymes important for digesting food. The pancreas is found near the stomach. The pancreas also may stop working because of alcohol abuse, disease, or if removed by surgery.
A diabetic's body may produce little or no insulin, or the cells become insulin resistant. Glucose will back up into the body if cells don't absorb blood sugar. The body will then get rid of the excess through frequent urination. That is one of the first symptoms of diabetes. Untreated diabetes causes severe complications, and many who are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes already suffer from some form of complication.
When our body can't regulate the glucose in our blood, diabetes is the result. The pancreas produces insulin and insulin allows the glucose to flow into the liver, muscles, and fat cells where it's used for fuel. When someone suffers from diabetes, the glucose in the blood can't move to the cells and even harms some organs and tissues because of the high levels of glucose in the bloodstream.
When the body doesn't produce insulin, or doesn't produce enough to regulate blood glucose levels, Type 1 diabetes is the result. About ten percent of diabetics in the United States have Type 1 diabetes. Also known as juvenile onset diabetes it usually is diagnosed during childhood or early adolescence. It can occur in adults if the pancreas has been destroyed or removed. Diabetics who are Type 1 need daily insulin to stay alive.
About 90 percent of diabetics have Type 2 diabetes. The body resists the insulin the pancreas produces in these diabetics, and usually is discovered in adults after the age of 45. It's possible for younger patients to have Type 2 diabetes, and some patients diagnosed will need to use insulin daily. Weigh loss, exercise, change of diet and oral medications are used to control Type 2 diabetes.
The statistics of Americans who have diabetes is staggering. About one third of these people do not even know they have diabetes. Damage to the body may occur before the disease is diagnosed. If you have a family history of diabetes, be aware of the symptoms. If you show signs of diabetes, increased urination, increased thirst, and a sudden weight gain or loss, you should contact your family doctor.
Related Articles for History Of Diabetes
History Of Diabetes Specific links
Connect at Current.com
- Stay current! All the Latest News and Videos: Entertainment, Politics, Sex, Tech, and Music. See whats new at Current.com.
-- http://www.current.com/
A Mood Booster to Combat The Credit Crunch
- Forget about the credit crunch for a little while and be just mildly entertained for a few minutes...
-- http://www.kontraband.com/
Blinkx Video Search
- World's largest video search engine. Over 26 million hours of video.
-- http://www.blinkx.co.uk/
Looking For History Of Diabetes?
- Information, Option, and Images for History Of Diabetes.
-- http://www.best5online.co.uk/
History Of Diabetes News
Jobs may have Type 1-like diabetes, says endocrinologist - Computerworld
 ABC News | Jobs may have Type 1-like diabetes, says endocrinologist Computerworld, MA - Another explanation that would fit Jobs' history and the statements he made today would be a digestive enzyme deficiency, which could also have been caused ... Video: Steve Jobs Weight Loss Due to Hormone Imbalance Hormonal imbalance related to thyroid, pituitary or adrenal glands ... Steve Jobs Weight Loss |
Low-glycemic inadequate, Atkins low-carb diet superior for ... - Examiner.com
 Examiner.com | Low-glycemic inadequate, Atkins low-carb diet superior for ... Examiner.com - As of research released in 2006, the number of people who have Type 2 diabetes or are considered pre-diabetic based on their insulin resistance reached an ... |
The History of Diabetes - Diabetes Health (press release)
The History of Diabetes Diabetes Health (press release), CA - ... as quoted in Hans Shadewaldt's The History of Diabetes Mellitus: "Life is short, art is long, the right moment soon speeds past, experience deceives, ... Diabetic differences |