Understanding Diabetes

An estimated 20 million Americans live with diabetes. That is 6% of the population. What exactly is diabetes? Dr. Melanie Jay: Diabetes is a relatively common metabolic disorder that affects the way the body uses food for energy and growth. The food we consume is converted into glucose or simple sugar which enters the blood stream as a source of fuel. Insulin or hormone produce by the pancreas helps regulate the level of glucose in the blood and how glucose is use. People with diabetes, however, experience insulin failure resulting an elevated levels of blood sugar. This causes both a short term symptoms of diabetes like excessive thirst and often damages the body’s organs in a long term. The way which insulin fells, determines how a diabetic is classified. There are three types of diabetes. Type I, type II and gestational diabetes. Type II diabetes is by far the most common, making up 90% to 95% of new cases of diabetes. Thomas Edison maybe best known for venting the light bulb, but the wizard of Menlo Park was also a member of a large type II diabetic population. Due to insulin resistance, a condition relates to excess body fat, type II diabetes usually develops in obese people. This condition occurs when a normal amount of insulin no longer sophists causing blood sugar to rise. The pancreas response by making extra insulin to lower the sugar. Diabetes results when the pancreas can keep up. Other times, type II diabetics just stop producing of insulin with a similar result. Type II diabetes usually arises in people who are at least 20 pounds overweight and over 40-years-old. A family history of diabetes plays a large rule as does ethnicity with most cases occurring among those that needed American, Spanish and African-American descent. In contrast to the frequency of type II diabetes, type I diabetes makes up only 5% to 10% of new cases. Type I diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system gets confuse and starts destroy the cells that produce insulin. In responds, the pancreas stops making insulin all together. People with type I diabetes must take insulin daily. Get the injections; do not hold them back from leading full lives. Just ask type I diabetic, Holly Berry is an Aimee, a gold globe and an academy award under her belt. Type I diabetes was once known is juvenile diabetes since it is usually diagnose in people under 20. Type I diabetics are frequently Caucasian. The third type of diabetes, gestational diabetes occurs in 7% of pregnancies probably because pregnancy hormones reduce receptiveness to insulin. Women are more likely to contract gestational diabetes if they have a family or personal history of diabetes or if they no-Caucasian ethnicity. Although diabetes is currently incurable. There are number of treatments that can allow diabetics to live healthy, normal lives. Remember diabetes can be self diagnose. So please see a doctor if you have a family history of the disease or concerns about you health. What to learn more? Check out other videos and sources on this site for more information.