When I started practicing medicine in 2003, I knew I wanted to focus on helping patients manage their diabetes so they could continue to live the life they wanted. I have seen many changes happen in diabetes in the last 20 years, from new and improved treatments to even the way we define what diabetes is.
That’s why in this three-week Diabetes Awareness blog series, I am going to explain what diabetes is, the importance of diet and exercise in treating diabetes and ways to manage your type 2 diabetes.
Fifteen years ago, the medical community used age to determine what type of diabetes a person had. If a person was diagnosed with diabetes as a child or teenager, it was called type 1 diabetes, and if an adult (over 18) was diagnosed, it was called type 2 diabetes. Through research into diabetes, we now know this is not true and in fact, we now know the medical difference between type 1 and 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is where your body destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. The exact cause of why this happens is still unknown, but it is believed to be an autoimmune process. This means that over time, you are unable to produce insulin, which is an important hormone that helps glucose (sugar) get into your cells to give them energy.
People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day to control their blood sugar. However, there are different options for how the insulin can be delivered, such as syringe, insulin pen, or insulin pump.
Type 2 diabetes
With type 2 diabetes, your body usually produces enough insulin but is unable to use it effectively due to insulin resistance. Here are the five main causes of insulin resistance ranked in order of prevalence:
1. Being overweight, especially fat cells in the abdomen
2. Genetics
3. Age
4. Lack of exercise
5. Certain medications, such as steroids
That is why losing weight is the first treatment recommended by the American Diabetes Association for those with type 2 diabetes, especially if you are overweight. Having a healthy diet and exercise routine plays an important part in helping you to manage your diabetes. When diet and exercise aren’t enough to manage your diabetes, medications or insulin therapy may be recommended as part of the overall management plan.
If you have type 2 diabetes, please click here to learn more about our free diabetes webinar with our Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists, who will provide you with the latest tools and strategies to manage your diabetes. We hope you’ll join us.
Symptoms of diabetes
According to the CDC, 37.3 million Americans have diabetes with 1 in 5 people unaware they have it. That is why it is important to know the common symptoms people may experience if they have diabetes. These include:
- Frequent thirst.
- Frequent urination, such as going to the bathroom 2 to 3 times a night
- Frequent yeast infections.
- Numbness, pain or tingling in the hands/feet (type 2).
- Weight loss (type 1).
If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to immediately contact your primary care doctor and set up an appointment. Your doctor can set up testing to determine which type of diabetes you have and begin you on the correct treatment path. This is critical as untreated diabetes can eventually lead to disorders of the circulatory, nervous and immune systems.