Diabetes Explained

What The Health [diabetes Explained]

One of the biggest hang ups for those that are trying to debunk "What the Health" is the explanation of diabetes, and from a medical perspective, I just wanted to explain everything and what they meant, and their belief. As I have mentioned in other blog posts, a full agreeance across the board medically on just about every single topic is never going to happen so it is totally within the right of a professional (or a critically thinking individual) to say "You know what? I don't think that I agree with that and I agree with this instead" and that is okay. It is important however to look at the data from every angle and decide which party that you agree with. I feel it's pretty common knowledge that you also have to keep an open outlook on who funded the studies, yadda yadda, so that you know if there is bias there. Many times, there is a certain group of medical professionals in the "plant based" sector and they are ALL the same physicians. This creates this round robin of evidence, and causes everyone to think they have an agenda. They all started on their own, did tons of their own research and came to these conclusions therefore they all collectively have come together to try to get the word out. What else would you expect them to do? They aren't lobbying.They are just real people who are passionate about these topics. Many of the articles against "What the Health" say that they are cherry picking evidence to support their argument. I mean if we are getting real, don't we all do that? There are meta analysis and systemic reviews that try to collectively look at all of the evidence and it's important to look at all of that, but at the end of the day if you are trying to make a point then you are going to reference a study that supports your case. DUH. However, I als Continue reading >>

Understanding Type 2 Diabetes

Understanding diabetes is the first step toward managing it. Learn what diabetes is and how it affects your body, what kind of diabetes you have, and how to manage your health. Understanding diabetes is the first step toward managing it. So what do you need to know? First, you need to know what diabetes is and how it affects your body. And you’ll need to know what kind of diabetes you have. Next you have to know how to maintain your health, treat your diabetes, know when your treatment is successful and what to do when it’s not. This section will take you through the answers to these first questions, and give you important information that will help you live a healthy life with diabetes. In this section you will learn: What is type 2 diabetes?: Information about how people develop type 2 diabetes and who gets type 2 diabetes How The Body Processes Sugar: Information about the natural control of blood sugar, and what is different when you have diabetes Continue reading >>

Type 1 Diabetes: What Is It?

Maybe a kid you know always eats a snack during a soccer game or goesto the school nurse before lunch to get a shot. If you have a friend or a classmate like this or this sounds just like you you're not alone. Thousands of kids all over the world do stuff like this every day because they have type 1 diabetes (say: dye-uh-BEE-tees). What is it? Let's find out. Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose (say: GLOO-kose), a sugar that is the body's main source of fuel. Your body needs glucose to keep running. Here's how it should work: Glucose from the food gets into your bloodstream. Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin (say: IN-suh-lin). Insulin helps the glucose get into the body's cells. The pancreas is a long, flat gland in your belly that helps your body digest food. It also makes insulin. Insulin is kind of like a key that opens the doors to the cells of the body. It lets the glucose in. Then the glucose can move out of the blood and into the cells. But if someone has diabetes, the body either can't make insulin or the insulin doesn't work in the body like it should. The glucose can't get into the cells normally, so the blood sugar level gets too high. Lots of sugar in the blood makes people sick if they don't get treatment. The two major types of diabetes are type 1 and type 2. In type 1 diabetes (which used to be called insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes), the pancreas can't make insulin. The body can still get glucose from food but the glucose can't get into the cells where it's needed. Glucose stays in the blood, which makes the blood sugar level very high and causes health problems. To fix the problem, someone with type 1 diabetes needs to take insulin through regular shots or an insulin pump . Type 2 diabetes is differen Continue reading >>

Explained

About Diabetes Diabetes is a chronic condition where a person has high blood glucose (sometimes called blood sugar) levels. For our bodies to work properly we need to convert glucose (sugar) from food into energy. To understand diabetes, it’s helpful to understand the basics of how your body metabolises (breaks down) blood glucose. Most of the cells in your body need glucose as a source of energy. When you eat carbohydrate, such as a bowl of cereal, pasta or fruit, your digestive system breaks down the carbohydrates into glucose (simple sugars), which travel through your blood stream to energise cells. Insulin is released by the beta cells in response to the rise in blood glucose levels after eating. Insulin directs the glucose into the liver and muscle cells, promoting the storage of nutrients and preventing your blood glucose levels to rise excessively. Insulin also increases the uptake of amino acids (building blocks of protein) and fatty acids (building blocks of fats) into protein and fat stores. Insulin is therefore important for regulating metabolism by promoting energy storage and cell growth. The liver converts glucose that is not needed immediately for energy into glycogen (which is stored in the liver). When blood glucose levels drop too low, insulin secretion falls and your pancreas releases the hormone glucagon, which prompts your liver to reconvert stored glycogen into glucose and release into the bloodstream. A normal functioning pancreas ensures there is a staple supply of nutrients for your body. This is important for certain organs such as your brain which depend on a steady supply of glucose. In people with diabetes, insulin is no longer produced or not produced in sufficient amounts by the body. Instead of being turned into energy the glucose stays Continue reading >>

Type 1 Diabetes Finally Explained

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a serious complex condition which can affect the entire body. Diabetes requires daily self care and if complications develop, diabetes can have a significant impact on quality of life and can reduce life expectancy. While there is currently no cure for diabetes, you can live an enjoyable life by learning about the condition and effectively managing it. There are different types of diabetes; all types are complex and serious. The three main types of diabetes are type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. How does diabetes affect the body? When someone has diabetes, their body can’t maintain healthy levels of glucose in the blood. Glucose is a form of sugar which is the main source of energy for our bodies. Unhealthy levels of glucose in the blood can lead to long term and short term health complications. For our bodies to work properly we need to convert glucose (sugar) from food into energy. A hormone called insulin is essential for the conversion of glucose into energy. In people with diabetes, insulin is no longer produced or not produced in sufficient amounts by the body. When people with diabetes eat glucose, which is in foods such as breads, cereals, fruit and starchy vegetables, legumes, milk, yoghurt and sweets, it can’t be converted into energy. Instead of being turned into energy the glucose stays in the blood resulting in high blood glucose levels. After eating, the glucose is carried around your body in your blood. Your blood glucose level is called glycaemia. Blood glucose levels can be monitored and managed through self care and treatment. Three things you need to know about diabetes: It is not one condition- there are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes All types of diabetes are complex and require daily care Continue reading >>

Types Of Diabetes

Today, there are 11 million Canadians living with diabetes or prediabetes. Every three minutes, another Canadian is diagnosed. Chances are that diabetes affects you or someone you know. What is diabetes? Diabetes is a chronic, often debilitating and sometimes fatal disease, in which the body either cannot produce insulin or cannot properly use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that controls the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Diabetes leads to high blood sugar levels, which can damage organs, blood vessels and nerves. The body needs insulin to use sugar as an energy source. What is the pancreas and what does it do? The pancreas is an organ that sits behind the stomach and releases hormones into the digestive system. In the healthy body, when blood sugar levels get too high, special cells in the pancreas (called beta cells) release insulin. Insulin is a hormone and it causes cells to take in sugar to use as energy or to store as fat. This causes blood sugar levels to go back down. What is type 1 diabetes? Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and kills the beta cells of the pancreas. No, or very little, insulin is released into the body. As a result, sugar builds up in the blood instead of being used as energy. About five to 10 per cent of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes generally develops in childhood or adolescence, but can develop in adulthood. Type 1 diabetes is always treated with insulin. Meal planning also helps with keeping blood sugar at the right levels. Type 1 diabetes also includes latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), the term used to describe the small number of people with apparent type 2 diabetes who appear to have immune-mediated loss of pancreatic beta cells. What is type 2 Continue reading >>

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition that prevents the body from properly using energy from food. It occurs when the pancreas does not produce insulin, or when the pancreas produces insulin, but it is resisted by the body. Diabetes explained in simple words Many people have heard of diabetes, but most people don't know exactly what diabetes really is. When we eat food, it is broken down in glucose or sugar. Even though many health experts harp on not having too much sugar in the diet, you do need some glucose to help regulate your metabolism and give you energy. During digestion, glucose moves through the body through the bloodstream to feed your cells. To be able to transfer the Blood sugar into the cells, your body needs insulin, which is made by the Pancreas and released into the bloodstream. The problem happens when you have too much blood sugar in your body compared to the amount of insulin your pancreas is providing. If you're body is not making enough insulin to keep up with the amount of sugar in your bloodstream, or if your body is having trouble making insulin, the glucose in the blood remains there and causes your blood sugar levels to elevate. If it continues, even after monitoring your diet, you will develop diabetes. Continue reading >>

The 5 'new' Types Of Diabetes, Explained

Credit: Bochkarev Photography/Shutterstock Diabetes just got a little more complicated, or clearer, depending on your perspective. Researchers in Scandinavia have proposed classifying diabetes as five types of disease, rather than two types, according to a new study. But what are these different types, and why did the researchers make this decision? Having diabetes means that a person's blood sugar (glucose) levels are too high. It's an increasingly common disease; about 30 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In people with type 1 diabetes , which most often appears in childhood, the body cannot make insulin a hormone that helps glucose get into cells. This condition occurs because the body's immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. In type 2 diabetes , the body does not make or use insulin well. Often, this condition begins with insulin resistance, which means cells aren't responding to insulin, even though the body is still making the hormone. The condition often occurs in middle-age or older adults and is thought to be related to lifestyle factors and obesity . But in the new study , which was published yesterday (March 1) in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinologyl, researchers found that diabetes patients in Sweden and Finland fell into five clusters. One of the clusters was similar to type 1 diabetes, while the other four clusters were "subtypes" of type 2. Three of the clusters were considered severe forms of the disease, while two clusters were considered mild forms. [ 5 Diets That Fight Diseases ] Dr. Kathleen Wyne, an endocrinologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, who was not involved with the study, said that the new classification could Continue reading >>

Diabetes Basics

Diabetes is a number of diseases that involve problems with the hormone insulin. Normally, the pancreas (an organ behind the stomach) releases insulin to help your body store and use the sugar and fat from the food you eat. Diabetes occurs when one of the following occurs: When the pancreas does not produce any insulin When the pancreas produces very little insulin When the body does not respond appropriately to insulin, a condition called "insulin resistance" Diabetes is a lifelong disease. Approximately 18.2 million Americans have the disease and almost one third (or approximately 5.2 million) are unaware that they have it. An additional 41 million people have pre-diabetes. As yet, there is no cure. People with diabetes need to manage their disease to stay healthy. To understand why insulin is important in diabetes, it helps to know more about how the body uses food for energy. Your body is made up of millions of cells. To make energy, these cells need food in a very simple form. When you eat or drink, much of your food is broken down into a simple sugar called "glucose." Then, glucose is transported through the bloodstream to the cells of your body where it can be used to provide some of the energy your body needs for daily activities. The amount of glucose in your bloodstream is tightly regulated by the hormone insulin. Insulin is always being released in small amounts by the pancreas. When the amount of glucose in your blood rises to a certain level, the pancreas will release more insulin to push more glucose into the cells. This causes the glucose levels in your blood (blood glucose levels) to drop. To keep your blood glucose levels from getting too low (hypoglycemia or low blood sugar), your body signals you to eat and releases some glucose from storage kept in t Continue reading >>

Explain Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes: As Quickly As Possible

There is a tremendous amount of diabetes confusion when it comes to understanding the two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. The confusion exists within the media, within our families, within conversations amongst people living with diabetes and those living without diabetes. Here are two easy ways to explain the two most common types of diabetes, in a really quick nutshell: Type 1 diabetes: “Well, every human (and animals) need insulin to live. My body attacked itself and destroyed the part of my pancreas that is responsible for producing insulin. At the moment, it can’t be prevented or cured. When you don’t have insulin in your body, the glucose from the food you eat builds and builds in your bloodstream. We all need insulin in order to take that glucose and let our body use it for energy. People take insulin with a syringe, a pen, a pump or pod. It requires a lot of attention, all day long.” Type 2 diabetes: “While media and society have taught us to think that this type 2 diabetes is the result of being overweight or eating too much candy, it’s actually much more complicated. In type 2 diabetes, a person’s body isn’t able to effectively use or produce insulin properly, also known as “insulin resistance.” The treatment of type 2 depends on each individual. For some, diet and exercise can be enough to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, while others may need oral medications or insulin. Type 2 diabetes cannot be cured, but you can sometimes manage your type 2 diabetes in a way that makes it seem as though you don’t have it anymore, because your blood sugars are in a healthy range again. It’s not easy!” From there, people often ask questions about how often you have to check your blood sugar, if you’ll die if you eat sugar, and a va Continue reading >>

Living With Diabetes

Managing diabetes is a daily challenge. There are so many variables to keep in mind -- food, exercise, stress, general health, etc. -- that keeping blood sugar levels in the desired range is a constant balancing act. We want to make managing diabetes easier. So, the DRI's Education Team hasdeveloped short brochures about the topics listed below -- offering useful tips on many of the day-to-day issues facing people living with diabetes. And, most of the materials are offered in English and Spanish. If you can benefit by learning about one or more of these subjects, just click on the title to expand. Do you know what foods have the greatest impact on your blood sugars? If you answered CARBOHYDRATE FOODS...youre right! Carbohydrates -- "carbs" -- are broken down into glucose. So if you eat too much of them, your blood sugar level may rise. For this reason, people with diabetes find it helpful to keep track of the carbs they eat in order to manage their blood sugars. Carb counting is easy. It just takes some practice at first. Caring for older people with diabetes requires special thought and consideration. The older individual is more likely to have other health problems and may be taking a variety of different medications. Many people are frightened to check their blood sugar -- or "blood glucose" -- levels because they do not want to see levels that are higher or lower than their target range. But, checking blood sugar at home, in school, and in the workplace is key to managing diabetes. It puts you in control of your diabetes. Remember, your blood sugar levels remain the same whether you know about them or not. Checking blood sugar levels is the most accurate way to see if your lifestyle changes and medications are helping you to better manage your diabetes. If levels Continue reading >>

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy. Sometimes your body doesn’t make enough—or any—insulin or doesn’t use insulin well. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells. Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause health problems. Although diabetes has no cure, you can take steps to manage your diabetes and stay healthy. Sometimes people call diabetes “a touch of sugar” or “borderline diabetes.” These terms suggest that someone doesn’t really have diabetes or has a less serious case, but every case of diabetes is serious. What are the different types of diabetes? The most common types of diabetes are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes If you have type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. Your immune system attacks and destroys the cells in your pancreas that make insulin. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, although it can appear at any age. People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day to stay alive. Type 2 diabetes If you have type 2 diabetes, your body does not make or use insulin well. You can develop type 2 diabetes at any age, even during childhood. However, this type of diabetes occurs most often in middle-aged and older people. Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes. Gestational diabetes Gestational diabetes develops in some women when they are pregnant. Most of the time, this type of diabetes goes away after the baby is born. However, if you’ve had gestational diabetes, you have a greater chan Continue reading >>

Diabetes

Contents What is diabetes? How can you get it? What problems does it cause? What happens next? How to help your friend What some kids who live with diabetes say Did you know? What is diabetes? Diabetes happens when someone's body does not have enough insulin. A car needs fuel to give it the energy to keep working. Our bodies need fuel to give them the energy to keep working. We get the fuel from our food. Carbohydrates in food get changed into glucose, the main energy that our bodies use. This change happens in our gut and in our liver. Enzymes help this change (they are not the same enzymes as the ones in washing powder). These enzymes come from several different parts of our body including the pancreas [say pan-kree-ass]. The glucose travels around our bodies inside blood vessels but it cannot be used as energy until it gets into our body cells. Insulin is the key that lets the glucose go through the cell wall into our cells. Insulin is a hormone. If there is not enough insulin there can be a lot of glucose travelling around in the blood, but the cells do not have enough energy to work well, which makes people sick. Lots of small clumps of cells in the pancreas make insulin. These cells are called 'islets' because they are like little islands in the pancreas. The rest of the pancreas makes enzymes. There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Children and young people usually get type 1, sometimes called 'juvenile diabetes'. (Juvenile [say joo-ven-ile is a word that means child or young person). People who get diabetes when they are older usually get type 2 diabetes. But more young people are getting Type 2 diabetes because they are overweight or obese. Dogs can get diabetes too! How can you get it? Type 1 diabetes happens when the 'islet' cells in the pan Continue reading >>

Confused By Diabetes? Here's A Simple Explanation

What is Diabetes? Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to regulate the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Carbohydrate foods are broken down to produce glucose, causing the blood glucose level (BGL) to rise. The liver also stores glucose, which is used to avoid low BGL when we’re not eating. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, which regulates the BGL between certain limits. It can remove glucose from the blood and transport it into the cells of the body where it is needed for energy. Insulin also regulates the production of glucose by the liver and switches off production when the BGL is high. Normally, the body produces enough insulin to keep the BGL between ideal levels at all times by removing excess glucose from the blood and regulating how much the liver produces. But people with diabetes are not able to remove excess glucose from the blood and the BGL rises. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 Diabetes usually starts in children and young people under the age of 30 comes on quite quickly the persons own immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that makes the insulin cannot make insulin and need to have insulin injections right from the start. Type 2 Diabetes usually develops in older people begins gradually some insulin is still produced, but it does not work properly, known as insulin resistance managed by diet and exercise, ad some people may need tablets or insulin as diabetes progresses. What causes Type 2 Diabetes? The causes of Type 2 Diabetes are a combination of: Family history Getting older Being overweight Being physically inactive Diabetes: explained When food is eaten it is digested in the stomach and intestines where it is broken down into glucose, and then absorbed into the blood stream. Glucose then moves into the ce Continue reading >>

Definition: Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus (sometimes called "sugar diabetes") is a condition that occurs when the body can't use glucose (a type of sugar) normally. Glucose is the main source of energy for the body's cells. The levels of glucose in the blood are controlled by a hormone called insulin, which is made by the pancreas. Insulin helps glucose enter the cells. In diabetes, the pancreas does not make enough insulin ( type 1 diabetes ) or the body can't respond normally to the insulin that is made ( type 2 diabetes ). This causes glucose levels in the blood to rise, leading to symptoms such as increased urination, extreme thirst, and unexplained weight loss. Continue reading >>