Health
Diabetes
Diabetes occurs when a person’s body cannot produce or use the hormone Insulin.
When we eat foods containing carbohydrates, glucose (the small units making up carbohydrates) is released into the blood. This glucose plays an essential role in providing our body with energy to function. If there is too much glucose in the blood, insulin is produced to take the glucose out of the blood, and into the body tissues for use and storage.
People that have diabetes are partially or completely unable to regulate the glucose in their blood
Excessive glucose in the blood can have the short term side effects of
- Excessive urination (polyuria) to get rid of glucose through the urine
- Thirst due to excessive urination
- Unexplained weight loss due to the body having to use fat and muscle protein for energy as the glucose is not available
In the long term, poorly manages diabetes can have very serious side effects including
- Greatly increased risk of cardiovascular disease such as stroke and heart disease
- Nephropathy (damage to the blood vessels in the kidneys) which can lead to Kidney failure
- Retinopathy (damage to the blood vessels in the eyes that can cause blindness)
- Neurophathy (damage to the nerves in the limbs such as the feet that causes lack of feeling or tingling)
There are two main types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2.
Type 1 diabetes normally occurs during childhood and before 40 years of age. Development of the disease is not lifestyle related. Type 1 diabetics do not produce their own insulin so need to inject insulin. People with type 1 diabetes must monitor their blood glucose levels so they can inject insulin if their blood glucose levels become too high (hyperglycaemia) and eat or drink something containing glucose (such as jelly beans or fruit juice) if their blood sugar levels get too low (hypoglycaemia). High blood glucose levels can lead to the above mentioned short and long term side effects. Low blood glucose levels can lead to dizziness, coma or even death.
What type 1 diabetics eat is also very important, and having a high carbohydrate meal will need more insulin to process the meal than a low carbohydrate meal, so people with type 1 diabetes become very good at counting carbohydrate serves in their meals and snacks!
Type 2 diabetes is generally a lifestyle related disease. Type 2 diabetes is closely linked with obesity and metabolic syndrome, and most people with the disease are overweight or obese.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body is not producing enough insulin, or the body tissues are not able to use the insulin (body fat can block the action of insulin). There are different treatments for type 2 diabetes, depending on the severity of the disease. Diet and exercise can control some forms of the disease, while others may need medication (Hypoglycaemic agents) to keep their blood glucose levels within a normal range. If blood glucose levels are not able to be controlled by diet exercise or medication, insulin may be needed.
Physical exercise can help to reduce blood glucose levels by using up the extra glucose in the blood. Obtaining or maintaining a health weight is also very important to help reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease, and helps the body to make or use insulin.
People with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes need to chose foods with a low GI as these foods take longer for the body to break down, so glucose is released slowly into the blood, and prevents blood glucose levels from getting high to quickly. A healthy diet is also important to reduce the risk of heart disease, and help people lose weight if there are overweight.
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