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 Type I Diabetes     Type II Diabetes     Gestational diabetes

Secondary diabetes     Diabetes Causes

Diabetes Symptoms      Normal blood glucose range

Diabetes management & supplements 

Diabetes information and statistics

Seventeen million Americans have diabetes and over 200,000 people die each year of related complications. Almost 6 million Americans have diabetes and are unaware of it. Diabetes is a chronic disorder of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism characterized by fasting elevation of blood sugar levels and a greatly increased risk for heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, high blood pressure, blindness, amputations, dental disease and loss of nerve functions. In diabetes, either the pancreas stops producing the hormone insulin or the body is unable to use the insulin it produces. Glucose, the body's major fuel, cannot enter our cells unless insulin is present and working. Without insulin, glucose builds up in the bloodstream and eventually turns up in the urine. The sugar imbalance also leads to increased urination and thirst. There are two common types of diabetes, Type I and Type II and two less common types called gestational and secondary diabetes.

Type I Diabetes

Was previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells, the only cells in the body that make the hormone insulin that regulates blood glucose. This type occurs most often in children and adolescents. Individuals with this type need to inject themselves daily with insulin to control their blood sugar. Risk factors for type 1 diabetes include autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors.

Type II Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes was previously called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM)

or adult-onset diabetes. Type 2 diabetes may account for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. It usually begins as insulin resistance, a disorder in which the cells do not use insulin properly. As the need for insulin rises, the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is usually associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, prior history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity. African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, and some Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are at particularly high risk for type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in children and adolescents.

Gestational diabetes

Is a form of glucose intolerance that is diagnosed in some women during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes occurs more frequently among African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, and American Indians. It is also more common among obese women and women with a family history of diabetes. During pregnancy, gestational diabetes requires treatment to normalize maternal blood glucose levels to avoid complications in the infant. After pregnancy, 5% to 10% of women with gestational diabetes are found to have type 2 diabetes. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 20% to 50% chance of developing diabetes in the next 5-10 years.

Secondary diabetes

In this type certain conditions such as pancreatic disease, hormone disturbances, surgery, malnutrition, genetic conditions, infections and certain medications may give rise to increased sugar levels. This type of diabetes may account for 1% to 5% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

Diabetes Causes

1) Diet - a high diet in refined, fiber depleted carbohydrate is believed to induce diabetes in susceptible genetic types. While a high intake of high-fiber complex carbohydrate rich foods may protect against the development of diabetes, consumption of refined white flour products and refined white sugar, can cause an abnormally high level of sugar in the bloodstream. The most refined substance like white sugar is not digested at all. White sugar molecules are small enough that they can be absorbed intact into the lining of the small intestine where from the sugar quickly enters the bloodstream and increases the level of blood sugar.

2) Impaired digestion

3) Overworked pancreas

4) Obesity (very significant contributor to development of diabetes)

5) Insulin resistance by cells (also called syndrome X). The hormone insulin is responsible for the normal handling of glucose by the body. In a state of insulin resistance, the body tissues do not respond to the command of insulin. As a consequence of insulin resistance, more insulin is secreted by the pancreas to overcome insulin resistance. Excessive amounts of circulating insulin leads to a change in the body chemistry where the body stores more fat and produces cholesterol, these events can result in high blood pressure which in turn may damage the circulatory system. However, positive dietary changes can enhance the body's insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of syndrome X complications and obesity.

6) Prenatal factors - recent evidence supports the concept that the nutritional status of the mother during pregnancy plays a role in determining whether the child will develop diabetes later in life. (Pregnancy causes another type of diabetes called gestational diabetes).

7) Chromium deficiency

Diabetes Symptoms

Frequent urination

Weakness and fatigue

Abnormal thirst

Unusual hunger

Drowsiness

Rapid weight loss

Itching

Very dry skin

Blurred vision

Tingling and numbness in the feet

Skin infections

Slow healing

Nausea, vomiting, or stomach pains may accompany some of these symptoms in the abrupt onset of insulin-dependent diabetes, now called type 1 diabetes.

Observing just one symptom from the above may not determine diabetes, however, consistent symptoms may require your family physician to get involved. Either way, you should always keep your physician up-to-date regarding matters of health.

Here's a quick reference table for normal blood sugar values:

*HbA1c% - hemoglobin A-1-c (HE-moh-glow-bin A-1-c) test. This blood test shows the average amount of sugar in your blood during the past 3 months. Your health care provider uses this test plus your blood glucose meter test results to tell if your blood sugar is under control. A score of less than 7 percent is good, it means that your blood sugar is in a good range. A test result of more than 8 percent is too high. At more than 8 percent, you have a greater chance of getting diabetes problems, like kidney damage. Your health care provider will advise you on the course of action and modifications in your lifestyle that need to be made if any.

Diabetes management & supplements

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