Carbohydrate Counting & Diabetes

What is carbohydrate counting?
Carbohydrate counting, also called carb counting, is a meal planning tool for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Carbohydrate counting involves keeping track of the amount of carbohydrate in the foods you eat each day.
Carbohydrates are one of the main nutrients found in food and drinks. Protein and fat are the other main nutrients. Carbohydrates include sugars, starches, and fiber. Carbohydrate counting can help you control your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, levels because carbohydrates affect your blood glucose more than other nutrients.
Healthy carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, are an important part of a healthy eating plan because they can provide both energy and nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, and fiber. Fiber can help you prevent constipation, lower your cholesterol levels, and control your weight.
Unhealthy carbohydrates are often food and drinks with added sugars. Although unhealthy carbohydrates can also provide energy, they have little to no nutrients. More information about which carbohydrates provide nutrients for good health and which carbohydrates do not is provided in the NIDDK health topic, Diabetes Diet and Eating.
The amount of carbohydrate in foods is measured in grams. To count grams of carbohydrate in foods you eat, you’ll need to
know which foods contain carbohydrates
learn to estimate the number of grams of carbohydrate in the foods you eat
add up the number of grams of carbohydrate from each food you eat to get your total for the day
Your doctor can refer you to a die Continue reading

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Type 2 Diabetes

What is type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects your body’s use of glucose (a type of sugar you make from the carbohydrates you eat). Glucose is the fuel your cells need to do their work. You need glucose for energy. You also need insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps glucose enter your cells so that it can be converted to energy.
Here’s the problem: People with type 2 diabetes (also known as diabetes mellitus) can’t properly use or store glucose, either because their cells resist it or, in some cases, they don’t make enough. Over time, glucose builds up in the bloodstream, which can lead to serious health complications unless people take steps to manage their blood sugar.
Type 2 diabetes affects more than 29 million Americans, including nearly eight million who don’t even know they have it. You may be at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes if it runs in your family, if you are of a certain age or ethnicity, or if you are inactive or overweight.
Type 2 diabetes vs. type 1 diabetes
What’s the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body does not produce insulin. The immune system destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults. People with type 1 diabetes need life-long insulin therapy.
Type 2 diabetes is much more common. In type 2 diabetes, the body doesn’t use insulin properly or, in some cases, doesn’t make enough. It’s usually diagnosed in middle-aged or older adults Continue reading

Type 2 diabetes statistics: Facts and trends

Diabetes mellitus, or diabetes, is a disease that causes high blood sugar. It occurs when there is a problem with insulin.
Insulin is a hormone that takes sugar from foods and moves it to the body's cells. If the body does not make enough insulin or does not use insulin well, the sugar from food stays in the blood and causes high blood sugar.
There are several different types of diabetes, but the most common is type 2. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Diabetes Report, 2014, 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes in the United States have type 2. Just 5 percent of people have type 1.
Contents of this article:
Key facts about diabetes in the U.S.
Diabetes is at an all-time high in the U.S. The CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation states that 1 percent of the population, which is about a half of a million people, had diagnosed diabetes in 1958.
Today, nearly 10 percent of the population have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). That's 29.1 million Americans, and more than a quarter of these people do not know they have it.
The ADA report that the number of people who have diabetes increased by 382 percent from 1988 to 2014.
The risk of developing diabetes increases with age. The CDC report that 4.1 percent of people age 20-44 have diabetes, but the number jumps to 25.9 percent for people over 65 years old.
As obesity has become more prevalent over the past few decades, so too has the rate of type 2 diabetes. An article in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology states that 25.6 percent of America Continue reading

Diabetes Symptoms, (Type 1 and Type 2)

Diabetes type 1 and type 2 definition and facts
Diabetes is a chronic condition associated with abnormally high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Insulin produced by the pancreas lowers blood glucose. Absence or insufficient production of insulin, or an inability of the body to properly use insulin causes diabetes.
The two types of diabetes are referred to as type 1 and type 2. Former names for these conditions were insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent diabetes, or juvenile onset and adult onset diabetes.
Symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes include
increased urine output,
excessive thirst,
weight loss,
hunger,
fatigue,
skin problems
slow healing wounds,
yeast infections, and
tingling or numbness in the feet or toes.
Some of the risk factors for getting diabetes include being overweight or obese, leading a sedentary lifestyle, a family history of diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), and low levels of the "good" cholesterol (HDL) and elevated levels of triglycerides in the blood.
If you think you may have prediabetes or diabetes contact a health-care professional.
Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by high blood sugar (glucose) levels that result from defects in insulin secretion, or its action, or both. Diabetes mellitus, commonly referred to as diabetes (as it will be in this article) was first identified as a disease associated with "sweet urine," and excessive muscle loss in the ancient world. Elevated levels of blood glucose (hyperglycemia) lead to spillage of glucose into the urine, hence the term sweet urine.
Norma Continue reading

Epidemiology of diabetes mellitus

Prevalence (per 1,000 inhabitants) of diabetes worldwide in 2000 - world average was 2.8%.
no data
≤ 7.5
7.5–15
15–22.5
22.5–30
30–37.5
37.5–45
45–52.5
52.5–60
60–67.5
67.5–75
75–82.5
≥ 82.5
Disability-adjusted life year for diabetes mellitus per 100,000 inhabitants in 2004
No data
<100
100–200
200–300
300–400
400–500
500–600
600–700
700–800
800–900
900–1,000
1,000–1,500
>1,500
Globally, an estimated 422 million adults are living with diabetes mellitus, according to the latest 2016 data from the World Health Organization (WHO).[1] Diabetes prevalence is increasing rapidly; previous 2013 estimates from the International Diabetes Federation put the number at 381 million people having diabetes.[2] The number is projected to almost double by 2030.[3] Type 2 diabetes makes up about 85-90% of all cases.[4][5] Increases in the overall diabetes prevalence rates largely reflect an increase in risk factors for type 2, notably greater longevity and being overweight or obese.[1]
Diabetes mellitus occurs throughout the world, but is more common (especially type 2) in the more developed countries. The greatest increase in prevalence is, however, occurring in low- and middle-income countries[1] including in Asia and Africa, where most patients will probably be found by 2030.[3] The increase in incidence in developing countries follows the trend of urbanization and lifestyle changes, including increasingly sedentary lifestyles, less physically demanding work and the global nutrition transition, marked by increased intake of foods that are high en Continue reading