What Is Diabetes

What is Diabetes?

Everyone has heard about the disease called diabetes, but very few people understand exactly what diabetes is, and how it can damage the body if it is not properly controlled. Even those who have been diagnosed with diabetes often do not realize how imperative it can be to understand the way it works and how they can help themselves by learning all they can about the disease.

A highly common belief is that eating or drinking too much sugar can “give” you diabetes. Nothing could be further from the truth! What eating and/or drinking high amounts of sugar will do is increase your daily calorie intake. Too many days of high calorie food and drink can lead to a person becoming overweight. Becoming too fat has always been associated with an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Anyone with diabetes has a high level of sugar in their bloodstream. Their body has a problem with the processing of sugar, or glucose. You can have diabetes with no kinds of outward symptoms at all. The damage is going on inside the body, sight unseen. But usually, there are symptoms that tell you that something is not quite right. Symptoms such as –

* Always being thirsty.
* Increased urination.
* Having a huge appetite, yet no weight gain and usually, weight loss.
* Extreme tiredness.
* Nausea and a general feeling of being ill.
* Yeast infections in both sexes.
* Male impotence.

One or more of these symptoms may cause you to visit a doctor. Your body may no longer make enough insulin to allow sugar and also starches, which are converted into sugar, to be used for its energy. This is known as insulin deficiency. Or, your body can become “immune” to insulin in a way, and cannot use the insulin it produces in order to process the sugar. There is no cure for diabetes, but with proper diet, exercise and medical care, you can keep the disease from becoming a problem.

Diet and exercise are extremely important for anyone who has diabetes. You need to know what and when to eat in order to control your blood sugar. Physical activity is also important. Your doctor will advise you on the type of medications you need to take. Some people must take insulin shots every day. Others are able to manage with taking insulin in pill form. Some types of diabetes can be controlled with diet and exercise alone.