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Diabetes - It CAN Be Controlled!

By: Richard H Ealom Introduction:

Diabetes is a disease that affects the way the body uses glucose (say: gloo-kose), a sugar that is the body's primary source of fuel. It is a chronic condition that requires close attention, but with some practical knowledge, you can become your most important ally in learning to live with the problem.

"The prevalence of diabetes is increasing because obesity is increasing," says Judith Fradkin, director of the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. Normally, the first step in treatment is to make patients understand that this is a condition that can be effectively controlled. "The amount of money it will cost in ten years to manage diabetes is going to bust the economies of many countries" says institute president Paul Robertson.

Diabetes, caused by the body's inability to produce or use insulin effectively to prevent a buildup of sugar in the blood, now afflicts nearly 21 million in the USA and roughly 250 million worldwide. It is a condition that can also cause long-term complications in some people, including heart disease, stroke, vision impairment, kidney damage and can also cause other problems in the blood vessels, nerves, and gums.

Blood:

During the past 10 years, medical studies have shown that by reducing high blood pressure and cholesterol and keeping blood sugar levels as near to normal as possible, diabetics can forestall many of the disabling complications that once seemed inevitable.

"This knowledge, along with simpler, more accurate blood tests and better drugs, has improved treatment", says Buse, an endocrinologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "New drug treatments, more accurate methods for monitoring blood sugar levels and assessing control of diabetes, and practical steps that patients can take are more common than ever", she says. "Until 1993, it wasn't clear that lowering blood sugar prevented or delayed complications, and it's only within the past decade that doctors learned that managing blood pressure and cholesterol reduced complications", she says.

Types:

There are two major forms of diabetes: type 1, an autoimmune disease that results in loss of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and usually occurs in children or young adults, who need daily insulin shots; and type 2, which accounts for 90% of diabetes cases and is associated with obesity and inactivity and reduces the body's ability to use insulin efficiently.

Type 1 diabetes (formerly named insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes) occurs when the patient's own immune system attacks and destroys the cells of the pancreas that create insulin. Type 1 diabetes happens at about the same rate in men and women, but it is more common in Caucasians than in minorities.

Type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent diabetes) is different. It is the most common type of diabetes and about 9 out of 10 people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. It is more common in older people, mainly in people who are overweight.

Conclusion:

The best way to prevent diabetes is through lifestyle changes and maintaining a normal weight.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

Concerning The Author: Richard H. Ealom is an author who has written more than 60 articles on Diseases,Causes,Cures. To learn more about Diabetes visit Diabetes: The Final Cure! You are allowed to reprint this article so long as this box stays intact.

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