What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition that is related to problems of insulin production or absorption. Insulin is a hormone that is fundamental to transporting glucose from digested food to the body’s cells. When the body cannot produce enough insulin, the glucose cannot be transported to the cells and remains in the blood stream. This causes Type 1 diabetes. When the body produces enough insulin but does not have enough receptor cells to absorb the insulin, Type 2 diabetes develops. 90% of people who have diabetes have Type 2. Its symptoms are the same as Type 1 diabetes.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

The symptoms for Type 1 diabetes include increased hunger, increased thirst, going to the bathroom often, losing weight, and feeling tired. The symptoms of Type 2 diabetes include increased thirst and hunger, going to the bathroom often, feeling tired, dry, itchy skin, slow healing of cuts or sores, development of many infections, and blurred eyesight.

Diabetes: Which Type Are You?

When you have diabetes, your body is not able to use sugar properly. This is because your body is not making enough insulin (a hormone which allows sugar into your cells to produce energy) or your body is not using the insulin it makes properly. As a result, sugar stays in the blood and rises to a point where it spills over into the urine. There are two main types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2 diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes must always use insulin to control their diseased. Those with type 2 diabetes can often control their disease with dietary changes, exercise and oral drugs.