Diabetes affects millions of people each year and there is no cure for diabetes but there is medicine that can help to treat this disease.
There are two types of diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes.
Diabetes
Our body has trillions of cells and the cells need energy in order to work the way that it needs to work.
The food that we eat turns in to glucose and the glucose travels through the blood stream to all parts of the body.
The pancreas makes insulin and the pancreas uses the insulin to help the body to be able to use the glucose.
The glucose is necessary because it is what gives our body energy.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes have similar symptoms. With Type 1 Diabetes, your body does not produce the insulin that your body needs.
Type 1 Diabetes was once known as Juvenile Diabetes because it usually happens when someone is a child or a teenager, but you can still get Type 1 later in life.
With Type 1 Diabetes, the body gets confused and fights the insulin cells that come from the pancreas.
No one really knows why the body fights off these very needed cells, but some believe that this can happen because of genetics.
Type 1 Diabetes cannot be cured or stopped, but it can be treated by taking insulin shots every day.
Most people with Type 1 Diabetes have insulin pumps which are put in the body and they pump insulin in when needed through small tubes.
Type 2 Diabetes
A person that has Type 2 diabetes has trouble controlling the glucose that is in the blood. This can happen for two different reasons.
The first reason is that the pancreas may not be making enough insulin, or the body is not reacting to the insulin the way that it should. When this happens, the blood has too much glucose.
When we have too much glucose or too little glucose, damage to the heart, blood vessels, nerves, kidneys and even the brain and it can cause people to lose their eyesight.
Type 2 Diabetes Risks
People that are overweight or that are inactive have a stronger chance of getting diabetes than people that are active.
If diabetes runs in your family, it is important to get checked often to make sure that you do not have the disease.
Symptoms of Diabetes
Some symptoms of diabetes include urinating often, always being thirsty, losing weight, being very tired, major skin itching and loss of eyesight.
Other symptoms can include having cuts that take a long time to heal, having high blood pressure, being hungry even after eating.
People that have diabetes have to take shots called insulin shots, while others can control their blood sugar by eating healthy and getting exercise, oftentimes having to take a daily pill.
Keeping your body active can help to control the glucose level in your body. People that have diabetes need to check their blood sugar often to make sure that their sugar levels stay at the right level.
Facts About Diabetes
- When the glucose in your body reaches really high levels, this is called hyperglycemia.
- The body uses carbohydrates to turn the food into glucose.
- Glucose is the fuel for the body’s cells.
- With Type 1 Diabetes, carbohydrates cause blood sugar to increase quickly.
- Weight loss is a treatment plan for Type 2 Diabetes.
- Controlling diabetes can make someone live longer.
- It is dangerous for blood sugar to drop too low.
What Did You Learn?
- What are the two types of Diabetes? Two types of diabetes are Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes.
- Which type of diabetes happens when the body does not make enough insulin? Type 2 diabetes happens when the body does not make enough insulin.
- What type of diabetes happens when the body does not make any insulin? Type 1 diabetes happens when the body does not make any insulin.
- What do people with both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes need to keep their body healthy? People with both types of diabetes need to take insulin in order to keep their blood sugar at the right levels.
- Can Type 2 diabetes be controlled? People with Type 2 diabetes can control this by losing weight, staying active and getting treatment needed by doctors.
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