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What Is Diabetes? Are You At Risk?
Author : Beau Combs
Submitted : 2010-09-20 13:13:15 Word Count : 847 Popularity: 9
Tags: diabetes, chronic inflammation, diabetes symptoms
People who are prone to diabetes- especially those who have the ailment in their family history- should be aware that there is a high probability that they, or their offspring, can inherit the disease. For that reason, it is extremely important that they become educated about the condition. The following are some things that people who are prone to diabetes must take into account:
Diabetes type. Experts say that the seriousness of diabetes can be identified by means of its type. There are 3 main types of diabetes- type 1 diabetes also known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, which is an autoimmune disorder and is the least common type; type 2 diabetes, also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or adult-onset diabetes, which affects the amount of insulin produced in the body and gestational diabetes which is common in women who are pregnant.
Symptoms. To determine if you have diabetes, you need to be aware of the symptoms. Those who suffer from type 1 diabetes will experience excessive thirst and dryness of mouth despite taking in lots of fluid, the urgent need to urinate more often, drastic weight loss, although they eat very well, fatigue or feelings of weakness despite less workload, and blurring of vision. For type 2 diabetes, sufferers often experience blurred vision, sores, wounds or cuts that take a long time to heal, itching of the skin in many parts of the body, increased thirst and dryness of mouth, frequent urination and mild to extreme leg pain. Gestational diabetes symptoms are identical to other types but are short-term because the disease ends when the woman gives birth. However, people who develop this type of diabetes should be more careful because it can lead to type 2 if not checked and treated immediately.
Diagnostics. For a person to finally know whether he or she suffers from diabetes, testing for diagnosis is a must. Although the symptoms do give you some advanced notice that you may be suffering from the disease, depending on these is not enough. Experts say that the only way to confirm whether you have diabetes or not is to get tested.
The tests to determine whether one is suffering from diabetes include:
- Fasting plasma glucose test, considered to be the primary criterion for people with diabetes and requires a person to go without food for at least eight hours before the test to ensure that the blood sample is taken and examined for glucose levels properly,
- Random blood sugar test that unlike the fixed plasma glucose test, does not require fasting, but that the blood to be sampled be taken immediately after the person has eaten or drunk something;
- Oral glucose tolerance test- this test requires the person to fast not less than 8 hours prior to testing and prohibits him or her from smoking and drinking coffee before the blood sample is drawn for testing;
- Glucose challenge test is for women who are prone to gestational diabetes when they are pregnant;
- impaired fasting glucose test- to be considered a new diagnostic category for people with diabetes. This is a blood sugar and can determine the likelihood that the person will develop diabetes.
Causes. For a long time it was thought that the major culprit behind the rise of type 2 diabetes was obesity, but now research suggests that the cause of the disease, whether it be Type 1, Type 2 or short-term gestational diabetes- may come down to chronic inflammation. Essentially, the natural process of inflammation in the body meant to protect us and keep our cells working at optimum performance kicks into overdrive causing the immune system to start attacking both healthy and diseased cells of the body and decreases the functionality of that part of the body. In the case of Type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the insulin producing cells of the pancreas making it impossible for the body to produce enough insulin; in Type 2 diabetes, chronic, low-grade tissue inflammation causes insulin resistance and in gestational diabetes, it's much the same.
Treatment Options. Those with Type 1 diabetes must take insulin since that is the hormone they are lacking, but in the case of type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes, a lot of the time the disease can be reversed, or kept in check, with proper diet and exercise. At the very least, high antioxidant foods such as fruits, vegetables and fish should be high on your list of food options.
Author's Resource Box
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Beau Combs is a self-professed health nut. His passion is sharing information with people on how they can improve their health through proper diet and activity. His favorite line of nutritional supplements comes from US health and wellness company, TriVita- a company known for their quality nutraceuticals in the nutritional supplement field.
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